LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




AN 

ELEMENTARY HISTORY 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES 



BY 



ALLEN C. THOMAS, A.M. 

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN HAVERFORD COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA 
AUTHOR OF "A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES," ETC. 



BOSTON, U.S.A. 

D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 

1900 



32665 



Library of CojK'>"ess 

T\wu Copies HEcfi^'eo 
AUG 9 1900 

SECOND COPY. 

Delivered to 

ORDER DIVISION, 
I SEP 11 1900 



69703 

Copyright, 1900 
By D. C. Heath & Co. 



TViT 



PREFACE. 

It is the aim of this work to set forth the main facts of 
American History, particularly the earlier periods, in such 
a way as to attract and interest pupils of the earlier gram- 
mar grades. 

It is now very generally acknowledged that history is 
best approached through biography. Personal incident 
is more attractive to every one, and especially to children, 
than any narrative of events can possibly be. Most of the 
book, therefore, has been given to biographical sketches of 
representative makers of the nation. 

Effort has been made to choose those men who would 
best illustrate the most important phases of national growth. 
Some of these phases are : the difficulties and dangers of 
exploration, and how they were overcome by earnestness 
and perseverance ; the risks and hardships of settlement, 
and how they were met and conquered ; the independence 
and patriotism of the colonists, and how they triumphed ; 
the effect of environment upon character ; the develop- 
ment of the people in politics and government and in 
social life; and the progress of invention and its effect 
upon national development. 

It has not been thought advisable to break the conti- 
nuity of the narrative by dividing the text into sections, or 
to insert many dates or foot-notes, or to add analyses and 
appendices. At the end of each chapter an OutHne is 
given to summarize what has been said, and a few ques- 



iv Preface. 

tions added in the line of suggestion. Each teacher will 
use questions adapted to the age of the pupils and the 
circumstances of the occasion. 

The main idea in illustrating the book has been to give 
the most authentic representations possible of the man, 
the place, or the thing described, so as to round out and 
complete the mental impression gained from the text. A 
few illustrations which may be called imaginative have 
been admitted ; these are chiefly after paintings, based 
upon authentic knowledge and information, or which are 
among our national heirlooms. 

The maps have been made as simple as possible, and 
sometimes purely diagrammatic in character ; and, for the 
sake of clearness, only such details given in them as are 
called for by the story. 

Haverford, Pa., 
July, 1900. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER 
I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 
XIX. 

XX. 



Old-Time Ideas 

Columbus 

The Cabots .... 

De Soto and Other Explorers 

Drake and Raleigh 

VniGiNiA AND Captain John Smith 

Henry Hudson 

The Pilgrims .... 

The Puritans .... 

Lord Baltimore and Maryland 

King Philip's War . 

Peter Stuyvesant and New Netherland . 

Father Marquette and La Salle 

Nathaniel Bacon 

William Penn 

Oglethorpe and Georgia .... 
Life in New England and Middle Colonies 

before the revolution 
Benjamin Franklin 
George Washington. — The French and Indian 

War 

The Revolution 



PAGE 

I 

7 
26 

40 

50 
62 

67 
85 
92 

95 
102 
III 
117 
123 
^33 

139 
150 

168 

187 



VI 



Contents. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

XXI. Daniel Boone 219 

XXII. ThoxMAS Jefferson 232 

XXIII. Lewis and Clark 241 

XXIV. Zebulon M. Pike 248 

XXV. Early Inventors (Fitch, Fulton, Whitney) . 253 

XXVI. Andrew Jackson. — Tecumseh. — TheWar of 1812 265 
XXVII. Canals, Railroads, Telegraphs, and Other In- 
ventions 277 

XXVIII. Oregon. — Whitman's Ride 290 

XXIX. Texas. — Mexican War. — California . . 299 

XXX. Abraham Lincoln 306 

XXXI. The Civil War 318 

XXXII. The United States in Recent Years . . 329 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

George Washington Fi-ontispiece 

After the portrait by Gilbert Stuart 
CARA^'AN CROSSING THE DeSERT ........ 3 

Prince Henry the Navigator 4 

From a contemporary Ms. in the National Library at Paris. 
Christopher Columbus 7 

From the bust in the Capitol at Rome 
Columbus explaining his Plan 'jo the Monks of Burgos . . 11 

After the picture by F. M. Dumond. 
Columbus asking the Aid of Queen Isabella . . . -13 

After the picture of the Bohemian artist, Vaczlav Brozik. 
Columbus parting from Ferdinand and Isabella . . . -15 

Copied from De Bry's " Voyages," a book of the sixteenth century. 
Columbus on Board his Ship . • 17 

Copied from De Bry's " Voyages," a book of the sixteenth century. 
Landing of Columbus. Early Morning, Oct. 12, 1492 ... 20 

After the picture by Dioscora Puebla, the Spanish artist. 
A Caravel of Columbus 23 

After the reconstructed model exhibited at the Columbian Exhibition. 
Sebastian Cabot 26 

After the picture ascribed to Holbein. 
The Coast of Newfoundland in Winter 300 Years ago . , 28 

After a drawing from nature by Lieut. A. Thompson in Bonnicastle's 
" Newfoundland." 
Americus Vespucius 29 

After the picture attributed to Bronzino in the Massachusetts Historical 
Society's gallery. 
Facsimile from the CosmographL'E Introductio (1507) . . 30 

Vasco da Gama . 32 

Ponce de Leon 32 

After an engraving in Herrera Edition of 1728. 
Ponce de Leon and his Men in Florida • ■ ■ • • ZZ 

By D. Munro. The scenery is from nature. 

Hernando de Soto ... 34 

A Scene on De Soto's Route 35 

From Charnay's " Ancient Cities of the New World." 

vii 



viii Illustrations. 



PAGE 

De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi 36 

After the picture by W. H. Powell in the Capitol at Washington. 
Sir Francis Drake 41 

From an original oil painting at Buckland Abbey, England. 
In the Straits of Magellan 42 

After the drawing by E. Whymper in Crawford's " Across the Pampas." 
Spanish Treasure Ship 44 

After drawings in the English state papers sent home by an English spy. 
Sir Walter Raleigh 45 

After the picture in the collection of the Duchess of Dorset. 
Jamestown '52 

After the sketch made by Miss C. C. Hopley about 1857, showing the 
ruined church. 
Captain John Smith 53 

From his " Description of New England." 
Palisaded Indian Village 55 

Algonkin Village of Pomeiock in 1585, after John Wyeth. 
P(_)CAHONTAs 57 

From the famous portrait in Booton Hall, Norfolk, England, painted 
shortly before she died. 
Shores of the Sound, Roanoke Island 59 

After a sketch from nature. 
The Half Moon at the Highlands 65 

After the painting by T. Moran. 
A House in Leyden 69 

As it was in 1620. 
Leyden 70 

From a bird's-eye view dated 1670. 
Model of the Mayflower 72 

In the National Museum at Washington. 

Plymouth Bay in Midwinter 280 Years acjo 73 

Autographs of the " Mayflower " Pilgrims 74 

Plymouth Rock 76 

From a photograph. 

Pilgrim Fort and Meeting-house 77 

Peregrine White's Inlaid Cabinet ....... 78 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 
Brewster's Sea Chest and Standish's Iron Pot .... 78 

In possession of the Connecticut Historical Society at Hartford. 
Platter and Kettle of Myles Siandish .... 79 
The Sword of Myles Standish ... . ,80 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 



Illustrations. ix 



PAGE 

Governor Carver's Chair ......... 8i 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 

The Chair of John Eliot , 8i 

Pilgrim Monument at Plymouth ....... 82 

From a photograph. 
The Myles Standish House at Duxbury 83 

Built in 1666, by his oldest son. 
John Winthrop 86 

After the original in the Massachusetts Senate Chamber. 

Pine Tree Shilling 87 

Cradle and Chair of the Time of the Puritans ... 90 

Old House in Salem, Mass 90 

Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore 93 

After a portrait preserved in the British Public Record Office. 

King Philip 95 

Indian Weapons 96 

After Catlin. 
The Junkers Garrison House 97 

After a painting by Susan Minot Lane. 
John Eliot 99 

From a portrait in possession of the family of the late William Whiting. 
Title-page of Eliot's Bible 100 

Reduced facsimile. 
Dutch Pleasure Wagon of the Olden Time .... 103 

Early Dutch Costumes 104 

Peter Stuyvesant 105 

After the portrait in possession of the New York Historical Society. 
The Stadthuys, New York, 1679 108 

After Brevoort's drawing. 
James Marquetpe in 

From the statue by G. Trentenove in the Capitol, Washington. 
Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle 114 

After Margry's portrait. 

Bacon and Berkelev , . . .118 

Bacon's Quarter Branch 120 

William Penn 123 

At the age of 22. After the portrait ascribed to Sir Peter Lely. 
Facsimile of Part of the Royal Deed given to Penn . 124. 125 
Facsimile of the Title-page of "A Brief Account of the Prov- 
ince OF Pennsylvania" 126 

Seal and Signatures to "The Frame of Government" . . 127 



Illustrations. 



PAGE 

The Treaty Elm, Philadelphia ....... 129 

From an old print. 

Wampum Belt 130 

The First Town Hall and Court House, Philadelphia . -131 

From an old print. 

James Edward Oglethori'e 133 

After the painting by Ravenet. 

A View of Savannah, Georcja 135 

From a print published in London in 1741, and " humbly inscribed to 
General Oglethorpe." 

Female Costumes of 1776 140 

A Dame School 141 

Facsimile from the New En(;lani) Primer 142 

Tinder Box, P\int, and Steel 143 

A New England Kitchen 144 

A Spinning Wheel 145 

CoNESTOGA Wagon 146 

Facsimile of "Flyin(; Machine" Advertisement . . . .148 

Franklin's Birthplace 150 

Benjamin Franklin 151 

After the portrait by Duplessis, painted in 1783. 

Franklin's Printing Press 157 

In the custody of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Franklin's Old Book Shop in Philadelpiija 158 

Franklin's Model of the Pennsylvania Fireplace . . .160 

Now owned by the American Philosophical Society. 

Franklin's Grave 165 

Birthplace of Washington 168 

A Southern Homestead 170 

From a photograph. 

Mount Vernon 173 

British Foot Guard. 1745 179 

From Grant's " British Battles." 

French Soldier 179 

After a sketch in the Massachusetts Archives. 

Braddock's Field 181 

General James Wolfe 182 

After the print in Entick's " General History of the Late War." 

Quebec in the Eighteenth Century 183 

From an old print. 

Stamps used in 1765 r . . 188 



Illustrations. xi 



PAGE 

A Colonial Newspaper 189 

Reduced facsimile. 
The Boston Tea Party 190 

From an old print. 
Charleston in 1780 191 

After a drawing by Leitch. 
Samuel Adams 193 

After the portrait by Copley, in Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 
John Hancock 194 

After the portrait by Copley, in 1744, in Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 
The Minute Man 195 

From the statue at Concord, Mass. 
Paul Revere 196 

After the picture by Gilbert Stuart. 
The Declar.\tion of Independence 199 

After the painting by Trumbull. 
Facslmile of the First two PAR^vciRAPiis of the Declaration 

of Independence 200 

Table and Chair used at the Sioning of the Declaration of 
Independence 201 

In Independence Hall, Philadelphia. 
Valley Forge 202 

After the painting by A. Gibert. 
Paul Jones 206 

After the etching of A. V'aren. 
Join or Die 206 

Device printed in Franklin's Pcunsylvavia Gazette, 1754. 
General Nathaniel Greene 208 

From the painting by C. Wollson Peale in 1783. 
The Surrender of Cornwallis, October 19, 1781 . . . . 209 

From the painting by Trumbull in the Capitol at \Vashington. 
The State House, Annapolis 210 

From Scharf s " History of Maryland." 
A Facsimile of Washington's Accounts kept dukinc; the 

Revolution 212, 213 

From "Monuments of Washington's Patriotism." 
Washington taking the Oath as President, April 30, 17S9 . 215 
Daniel Boone 220 

After the painting by C. Harding. 
Boone's Fort 226 

From Collins's " Historical Collections of Kentucky." 
A Pioneer Home in Kentucky 2^0 



xii Illustrations. 



PAGE 

Thomas Jefferson 233 

After the painting by Gilbert Stuart. 
Patrick Henry addressing the Virginia Assembly . . . 234 

After the painting by A. Chappel. 

Monticello — the North Front 239 

Meriwether Lewis 241 

After the drawing by St. Memin. 
William Clarke 242 

From Lewis and Clarke's " Travels." 
Zebulon M. Pike 248 

After an engraving by Gimbrede in the Analectic Magazine. 

Pike's Peak from the Garden of the Gods 249 

Robert Fulton 254 

From D. C. Colden's " Life of Fulton." 
" Perseverance " 255 

John Fitch's first steamboat in 1787. 
The "Clermont" 258 

From Rergart's " Life of Fulton." 
John Ericsson in 1S61 . . . . • . . . . 260 

From W. C. Church's " Life of Ericsson." 

Eli Whitney 261 

Whitney's Cotton Gin 263 

After the original model. 
Andrew Jackson in 1830 265 

After the portrait by R. W. Earl. 
Gold Medal presented by Congress to Andrew Jackson . . 272 
De Witt Clinton 278 

After the portrait by C. Ingham. 
Locks on the Erie Canal 279 

As first constructed. 
Entrance to the Erie Canal at Troy 280 

From an old print. 
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 1830 282 

From an old print. 
First Train on the Camden and Amboy Railroad . . . 283 

Letter Carrier of the Olden Time 283 

Samuel F. B. Morse 284 

From the last approved photograph. 
The "Great Eastern" picking up the Cable of 1865 . . . 289 
Whitman Station 297 

Scene of the massacre. 



Illustrations. xiii 

PAGE 

Chicago in 1820 . . 299 

From an old print. 
The Overland Route . . , . . . . . . 302 

A Californian Wagon Train 302 

From an old print. 
View of San Francisco in 1847 303 

After a lithograph. 
Abraham Lincoln , 307 

From a photograph taken in i860. 
House in which Lincoln was born 308 

From a photograph of the reconstructed log-cabin. 

Log-Cabin Furniture 309 

A Mississippi Flatboat 311 

A Worm Fence 312 

The Capitol at Richmond 320 

Fort Sumter before the Bombardment 321 

Monitor and Merrimac 322 

An incident of the Civil War, 
Farragut on the Main Shrouds 323 

After the picture by W. Page. 
Ulysses S. Grant 324 

From a photograph. 
McLean House, in which General Lee Surrendered . . . 325 

From a photograph. 
The Grant Monument, New York 326 

From a photograph. 
Robert E. Lee 327 

From a photograph in 1862. 
View on the Union Pacific Railroad 332 

From a photograph. 
William McKinlky, President of thk United States, 1896 , 333 

From a portrait by Rockwood, New York. 
George Dewey 335 

From a photograph taken in 1899. 
Morro Castle, opposite Havana, Cuba 336 

From a photograph. 
Senate and Legislative Buildings, Honolulu, Hawaii , . 337 

From a photograph. 



LIST OF MAPS. 



The World, showing the Possessions of the United States 

Page 2 of Cover 



Toscanelli's Map, 1474 

Trade Routes to the East 

The World as known to Columbus 

Columbus's Route to the Wes! 

The Globe of Ulpius, 1542 

Spanish Explorations 

Coast of Virginia in the Time of Ralekjh 

Virginia in Early Days 

Henry Hudson's Voyac;es . 

The Land of the Pilgrims and Puritans 

French Explorations 

Route of Braddock's Expedition 

The Colonies in 1776: Northern Section 

The Colonies in 1776: Southern Section 

The United States after the Revolution 

Boone's Trail 

Lewis and Clarke's Route 

Pike's Route 

Whitman's Ride 

The Territorial Growth of the United States 
The United States, 1900 



Page 3 of 



5 
6 

14 
31 

38 

40 

50 

63 

84 

112 

177 

197 

203 

217 

224 

244 

251 

293 

330 

Cover 




TOSCANELLI'S MAP, I474. 
An old-time idea of the sea route to the East. 



An Elementary History of the 
United States. 



OLD-TIME IDEAS. 

There were many wise men and famous scholars 
in Europe four hundred and fifty years ago. But 
even the wisest of them did not know that beyond 
the Atlantic Ocean — the Sea of Darkness, as it was 
called — lay avast continent in which not one white 
man lived. 

Many strange stories were told of wonders far 
away; tales of beautiful islands, and of enchanted 
fountains that would bring back youth to the 
aged; of seas which were always covered with 



2 History of the United States. 

mists and darkness or in which horrible monsters 
lived. No one had ever seen any of these things, 
but many believed that the stories were true. 

Quite as wonderful were the books which had 
been written and the tales which had been told by 
overland travellers to the East. Men knew so little 
about distant lands and seas that they were ready 
to believe almost any strange story. When Marco 
Polo wrote in his book of travels that one of the 
palaces in Cipango^ was roofed with fine gold, 
and that all the pavements of the palace and the 
floors of its chambers were entirely of gold, in 
plates like slabs of stone, a good two fingers thick, 
and that the windows were also of gold, men 
were very ready to believe him. 

But when another traveller, Sir John Mandeville, 
said that in his opinion the world was round and 
not flat, men laughed at the idea. Such a notion 
might do very well, they said, for some foolish 
geographer or map designer, but any practical man 
might know that the people on the other side of 
the world would surely fall off if it were round. 
Sir John Mandeville certainly told some incredible 
stories, but this true thing which he did say was 
thought to be the most incredible of all. 

Spices and jewels, silks and rich goods, came in 
those days from India, but the journey then was 
much longer and far more dangerous than it is now 

^ Cipango was the old name for Japan. 



Old-Time Ideas. 



3 



Caravans crossed the deserts to the Mediterranean 
Sea, bringing goods to be sent over the water in 
ships, or carried over the mountains to the countries 
of Europe. 




Caravan crossing the Desert. 



To go by land was a journey of several months, 
and traders were likely to meet robbers and ene- 
mies on the way. Of these robbers and enemies 
none were feared so much as the rough and lawless 
Turks. So when the Turks captured the great 



History of the United States, 



commercial city of Constantinople, in 1453, trade 
with India was brought almost to a standstill, and 
the European nations became very eager to find a 
new way to the East. 

How to get to India was a question discussed in 
every seaport of Europe. We, of course, should 

think at once of sailing 
round Africa ; but at that 
time men thought that 
Africa stretched so far to 
the south that they could 
not pass it. 

There was one man, 
Prince Henry of Portu- 
gal, who thought differ- 
entlv. He was a learned 
man and a good sailor. 
He fitted out some ships, 
and sent them south to 
try to find India in that 
way. But his sailors 
were afraid to sail far 
enough. Though they came very near what is now 
the Cape of Good Hope, they did not quite reach 
it ; so Prince Henry never knew that his views 
were correct. 

One of the chief seaports in Europe was Genoa, 
in Italy. Here came ships from all the countries 
on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In its 




Prince Henry the Navigator. 

From a contemporary manuscript in the 
National Library at Paris. It represents 
him in mourning for his brother. 



Old-Time Ideas. "^ 

streets were seen men of every nation, and strange 
languages were heard on every side. 

Pirates, or corsairs, might be seen talking with 
merchants and scholars ; for in those days it was not 
thought wrong for private citizens to attack and to 
seize the ships of another country, and corsairs 




EXPLANATION: 

-■ ■ -- ~ Trade Route controlled by Venice 
++♦«•♦♦ Trade Route controlled by Genoa 

— Middle Route 

—*■-*■— De Gama's Route 



Trade Routes to the East, 



were not ashamed of their calling. Many of the 
pirates were very rich; all of them could relate 
marvellous adventures, and we may fancy how eager 
the Genoese boys were to hear these tales of hair- 
breadth escapes, of sea-fights, and of great prizes 
captured. 



History of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

Four hundred years ago no one knew of America. 
Monsters were thought to hve in the far-off seas, and 
enchanted islands were beyond the mists. Men laughed 
at the idea that the world was round. Rich goods from 
India were brought overland. The Turks interfered with 
this trade. How to get to India by sea was the great 
question. 

What did the men of old times think of the ocean and its 
islands ? 

Tell what Marco Polo wrote in his book. 

What were some of the stories that Sir John Mandeville told ? 

What kind of goods came from India? 

How were they brought? 

What is said of Prince Henry? 




MAP OF THE WORLD AS KNOWN TO COLUMBUS 

&^=- : ^ UNKNOWN I ~1 KNOWN 



COLUMBUS. 




From the bust in the Capitol at Rome. 



About the mid- 
dle of the fifteenth 
century, a bright, in- 
dustrious boy named 
Christopher Colum- 
bus was living in 
Genoa. His father 
was a woolcomber, 
and it is likely that 
he was poor. 

Columbus went to 
sea w^hen he was 
about fourteen years 
old, for the sea tales 
that he heard, and 
the ships which he 
saw, made him want 
to be a sailor. 



A sailors life is a rough one at any time, but it 
was a very rough life four hundred years ago. 
Columbus probably sailed with some of the pirates, 
and we suspect that he went at least once to the 
coast of Guinea in Africa, to get negro slaves. 

It is not at all unlikely that he also sailed far 

7 



8 History of the United States. 

north to Iceland. If he did, he heard the Norse 
sailors tell of a far-off land which some of their 
forefathers had visited many years before. This land 
they called Vinland, on account of the quantity of 
grapes found there. We do not know where this 
land was, but it may have been our New England. 

When Columbus was about twenty-six years old, 
he went to live at Lisbon, in Portugal, where his 
younger brother, Bartholomew, was engaged in the 
business of making and selling maps. When on 
shore Columbus also drew maps, and in this work 
he was very skilful. . 

For some years he had been studying books which 
told about the shape of the earth, and of the far-off 
lands which Marco Polo, and Mandeville, and others 
had visited. 

In the library at Seville, in Spain, there is now a 
book, on the pages of which are notes, in the hand- 
writing of Columbus, which show how carefully he 
he read and studied. 

When still quite young he had come to the con- 
clusion that the earth is not flat, but shaped like an 
orange, so that to reach China and the island of 
Cipango it was only necessary to sail directly west 
from Spain. He was not the first man who believed 
the earth to be round, for some of the old Greeks 
and Romans as well as Sir John Mandeville had 
thought so ; and, in one of the geographies which 
Columbus had studied, the same view was taught. 



Columbus. 9 

Now, there was living in Italy a great astronomer 
named Toscanelli. He had been convinced by 
what Marco Polo had written about the shape of 
the earth, and he had drawn a map to show the 
earth as he imagined it. He had sent this map to 
King John of Portugal, at the same time urging 
him to send an expedition westward. Hearing that 
Columbus wished to visit the land of spices, Tos- 
canelli wrote to him also. Columbus, thinking that 
this would be a good time to carry out his plan, 
asked King John for ships to sail westward across 
the sea to seek for India and the east. He assured 
the king that great riches and glory would come 
to Portugal if this should be done. 

King John hesitated, for Portugal was at war, 
and the cost of such an undertaking would be great. 
However, he called his council together, and asked 
their advice. It is said that one of his council 
advised that Columbus should be asked for the 
plans of his proposed voyage, and that then the 
king should secretly send a ship to follow the course 
thus marked out. 

The king seems to have followed this advice, 
for he sent out a vessel, giving orders to the captain 
to sail along the route Columbus had laid down. 
The vessel had been at sea but a few days when 
a great storm arose, and the sailors were so fright- 
ened that they refused to go any further. The 
captain ordered the ship to be turned back ; and 



lo History of the United States. 

the seamen laughed at the idea that the East could 
be reached by saihng west. 

When Columbus found out how baselv the kinof 

■J o 

had treated him, he was very angry, and left Por- 
tugal. He turned his steps toward Spain ; but it 
was a poor time to seek help from Spain. The 
plague, a terrible disease, had visited the country, 
and thousands of persons had died from it. The 
times were hard, and, above all, Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella, the king and queen, for more than three 
years had been at war with the Moors, trying to 
drive them out of the country. 

It is no wonder that but little attention was paid 
to Columbus. He was put off again and again, but 
still he followed the court as it was moved with the 
army from place to place. He persevered for two 
years ; then, weary of the long delay, he wrote to 
the king of Portugal, asking leave to return. 

Now that Columbus was thinking of going away, 
the king and queen of Spain ordered a company 
of learned men to be called together to hear what 
he had to say for himself. But this meeting was 
delayed, and Columbus was much cast down. 

For two years Columbus lived as the guest of a 
kind-hearted nobleman ; then he told his benefac- 
tor that, sick of waiting, he was going to P>ance, 
to seek aid from the French king. His friend did 
not wish Spain to lose the chance of gaining wealth 
and glory, so he wrote to Queen Isabella in favor 
of Columbus. 



Columbus. 



1 1 



The war against the Moors went on, and nearly 
two years more passed by before Columbus could 
get a hearing. At last his plans were laid before 
some learned men. Most of these men ridi- 
culed his ideas. But one Diego, a friar and the 




Columbus explaining his Plan to the Monks of Burgos. 

After the picture by F. M. Dumond. 



tutor of one of the royal princes, believed that 
Columbus was right, and persuaded the king and 
queen not to refuse him, but to say that when the 
war with the Moors was over they would see what 
they could do for him. 

The patience of Columbus was by this time quite 



12 History of the United States. 

exhausted ; he had waited six long years, and yet 
he seemed no nearer success than when he had 
first come to Spain. He now made plans to go to 
France. He was very poor; he had to travel on 
foot, and to beg bread for himself and his little son 
who was with him. 

Just before he reached the port of Palos, where 
he hoped to find a ship that would take him to 
France, he called at a convent to ask for food. The 
prior at the head of this convent was a learned man, 
and much interested in geography. He was much 
impressed by Columbus and he invited him to stay 
at the convent and rest. 

Now it happened that this monk had been the 
confessor of Queen Isabella, and he determined to 
try to induce her to aid Columbus. But first he 
invited some of his friends to come and talk over 
these new plans with the Italian stranger. One of 
these men was a rich seaman and merchant, who 
was so greatly moved by what Columbus said that 
he offered to help fit out ships for such a voyage 
as was proposed. 

This was the best news that Columbus had heard 
for many a day. The prior went to see the queen, 
and succeeded in gaining her good-will ; she not 
only sent for Columbus, but also furnished him with 
money, in order that he might return to the court. 

Columbus reached the court in the midst of rejoic- 
ings at the great victory over the Moors, and no 



Col 



umous. 



13 



one cared to listen to the wild stories of a foreign 
seaman. He began to think that he was to fail 
again ; but this time he was to have his chance, 
for, as soon as the festivities were over, he was 
brought into the presence of the queen. 




Columbus asking the Aid of Queen Isabella. 

After the picture of the Bohemian artist, Vaczlav Brozik. 

Columbus was so sure of ihe riches he was to 
find that he asked great rewards. He said that he 
must be admiral and viceroy of the lands he should 
discover, and also that he must have one tenth of all 
the gold and silver that should be found. 

This was a great deal to ask, and we need not 
wonder that the queen hesitated ; but Columbus was 
firm, and said he would leave Spain rather than yieldc 



H 



History of the United States. 



In fact, he mounted a mule and started off once 
more for France. When his friends found that he 
was determined to go, they were very sorry. They 
told the queen that if he failed to find the Indies 
the loss would not be very great, while if he found 
them the gain would be vast. 

So earnestly did they plead, that the queen con- 



sented. A 



messenger 



overtook Columbus as he 




> <) K Til rJf v^, 

A M I-: K I C; A <V AZORES.^ Lisbon^ \,.>^ • 

^ • PalosT* * - 

ATLANTIC OCEAN 




First Voyage of COLUMBUS 




Columbus's Route to the West. 



was riding sadly away. At last the time had come 
for which he had been waiting all these weary years. 
It was ten weeks before three small vessels could 
be made ready for the great experiment. It was 
hard to find sailors who were willing to go on such 
a dangerous voyage, for all were afraid of the un- 



Columbus, 



IS 



known seas. But on Friday, August 3, 1492, a little 
before sunrise, the three small ships, or caravels, 
as they were called, started from the port of Palos 
in southern Spain. 

The names of the caravels were Santa Maria, 
Pinta, and Nina. Of these, the first was the larg- 




COLUMBUS PARTING FROM FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. 
Copied from " De Bry's Voyages," a book of the i6th century. 

est ; it was about sixty-five or seventy feet long, and 
was the only one that had a full deck. The Santa 
Maria was commanded by Columbus himself. 

Just before sailing, Columbus and all his men 
went to a church and asked the blessing of God 



1 6 History of the United States. 

on their voyage. The vessels sailed first to the 
Canary Islands, where it was found necessary to 
refit the Pint a, as the vessel proved to be leaky. 

It was the 6th of September before the little 
fleet started again. The course chosen was due 
west. Head winds at first kept the vessels back, 
and the story goes that the sailors, like those of the 
Portuguese ships sent out by King John, rebelled, 
saying that it was of no use to try to go any farther. 
But Columbus was a very different man from the 
Portuguese captain ; he would not turn back. Soon 
a fair wind sprang up, and the ships went on. 

It was not long before the sailors saw objects 
which caused them to think that land could not be 
very far off. They saw land birds ; and then great 
quantities of seaweed, which usually is not found 
except near some coast ; then a live crab was seen ; 
then a piece of wood which had been carved, show- 
ing man's work. But still the days went by and 
they saw no land. 

All this time the wind had been blowing steadily 
from the east, and the sailors began to think that 
they never should have a chance to get back. 
Fortunately, just as they were about to rebel again, 
the wind suddenly shifted ; now their fears were 
dispelled, for they saw that the wind did sometimes 
change. 

One day a sailor called out " Land ! " We may 
be sure that there was great excitement on the ves- 



Columbus. 



17 



sels when a gray shape was seen on the horizon ; 
but the next day it proved to have been a cloud, 




Columbus on Board his Ship. 

Copied from " De Bry's Voyages," a book of the i6th century, 
C 



1 8 History of the United States. 

and the disappointment was very great. Though 
they still saw many birds and quantities of seaweed, 
and on one day some grass with roots, yet no land 
was seen. In spite of the murmurs of the sailors, 
Columbus kept his vessels headed due west. 

As they anxiously watched the birds, it was 
noticed that their flight was toward the southwest, 
and after much persuasion the captain of the Pmta 
prevailed upon Columbus to change his course so 
as to follow the birds. Had he not done this the 
little fleet would have come to the coast of what 
is now the United States, and North America might 
have become Spanish instead of English. 

It came to be the thirty-fourth day since the 
sailors had seen land, and that is a long time to 
see nothing but sea and sky. Perhaps not one of 
them had ever had such a long voyage before, and 
we can well imagine that they were frightened. 
But Columbus encouraged them, telling them what 
riches would be theirs when India was reached. 

On the evening of the very next day, Columbus 
thought he saw a light moving in the distance. 
That nio^ht all was excitement on board the vessels. 
Early the next day, Friday, October 12, 1492, 
about two o'clock in the morning, Rodrigo de 
Triana, a sailor on the Pmta, shouted " Land ! " 
This time there was no mistake about it. It was 
land indeed, and it seemed to be about six miles 
away. 



Columbus. 



19 



When daylight came, boats were made ready, and 
Columbus, the captains of the Pinta and the Nina, 
and some of the sailors, with the royal standard of 
Spain flung to the breeze, started for the shore of 
what now was seen to be a small island. 

When Columbus landed, he took possession of 
the country in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella 
of Spain, and all the little company fell on their 
knees and gave thanks that they had been brought 
safely over the sea to this beautiful land. 

As they stood upon the shore, copper-colored 
men and women met them. These people thought 
that Columbus and his companions were gods, and 
that the ships with their great white sails were huge 
birds. As offerings to the strangers, the natives 
brought fruits, balls of a kind of cotton thread, 
bright colored parrots, javelins, and, among other 
things, a few gold ornaments. Nothing, not even 
the curious fruits and dark-skinned men, charmed 
the Spaniards so much as the gold; for it was 
chiefly in hope of finding gold that they had braved 
the ocean's perils and crossed the unknown seas. 

The natives gladly gave what they had brought, 
in exchange for beads, red caps, little bells, and 
cheap ornaments. They wore no clothes, but their 
faces and bodies were painted with black, blue, red, 
or such colors as they were able to get. 

The men and women were excellent swimmers, 
and while the ships remained near the island they 



20 



History of the United States. 



would swim out to the vessels, bringing in their 
hands various articles, which they hoped to ex- 
change for beads or trinkets. The Spaniards could 
not understand the language of the natives, but 
managed to get a good deal of information by 
means of signs. 




Landing of Columbus, early Morning, October 12, 1492. 

After the picture by Dioscora Puebla, the Spanish artist. 

Columbus called the island San Salvador. It 
was one of the islands now known as the Bahamas, 
but which one of the group nobody is quite certain. 
Many believe it to be that one which is called 
Watling's Island. 

Columbus was so sure that he had reached India 



Columbus. 21 

that he called the people Indians, and though it 
was soon known that he was wrong, they are still 
called Indians, and the islands are known as the 
West Indies. 

He did not stay very long at San Salvador, for 
the natives had not much gold, and they told him 
by signs that it came from a land still farther west. 
Moreover, he had not seen any precious stones, nor 
had he reached the cities about which Marco Polo 
had written. So he continued his search. 

For three months he sailed among the islands, 
seeing never a town, but still believing that he had 
come to India. 

When he reached the coast of Cuba, he thought 
first that it was the mainland, and then that it must 
be the island of Cipango. He was also greatly dis- 
appointed in the quantity of gold that he found 
among the natives. 

He was so much pleased with the island of Haiti, 
however, that he determined to build a city there. 
Through the carelessness of the pilot, the Santa 
Maria was wrecked, but out of its timbers a fort 
was built, to protect the little party of men that 
was to remain. 

On Friday, the 4th of January, 1493, the two 
little vessels sailed for Spain. They met with terrible 
storms, and more than once Columbus and his 
men in the Nina despaired of seeing their homes 
again. The ships were separated, and Columbus, 



22 History of the United States. 

fearing that the knowledge of his discovery would 
be lost, wrote out an account of what he had seen, 
wrapped in waxed cloth the sheets on which it was 
written, and put the package into a barrel, which 
was thrown overboard. If the ships were lost, there 
would still be a chance for his discovery to become 
known. 

About the middle of February, the Nina reached 
the Azores. These islands belonged to the Portu- 
guese, and the officials took some of Columbus's 
men as prisoners, and threatened Columbus him- 
self. At length the men were set at liberty, and 
the Nina was left to continue her voyage. After 
touching at Lisbon, the ship entered the harbor of 
Palos on F'riday, the 15th of March, 1493. 

As soon as it was known that Columbus had 
come back, the bells were rung, the shops were 
shut up, and a great procession went to the church, 
to give public thanks for the success of the admiral. 

In the midst of these rejoicings, the Pi^ita came 
into the harbor. The captain of this ship was 
greatly taken aback to find that Columbus was 
ahead of him; for he felt sure that the Nina had 
gone down in some great storm, and he was about 
to claim for himself the glory of having discovered 
the new lands. 

When the ship arrived, the king and queen were 
at Barcelona, far away on the other side of their 
kingdom ; and they sent for Columbus to come to 



Columbus. 



23 



them. The long journey was Hke a triumphal 
march ; the people everywhere turned out to see 
the hero pass, and to gaze at the Indians and the 
strange things which he had brought with him. 




A Caravel of Columbus. 

After the reconstructed model exhibited at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. 



He had a truly royal welcome from the king and 
queen. They raised him up when he would have 
kneeled, and made him sit down and tell them 
what he had seen and done. He showed them the 
natives and the curiosities and the gold. 



24 History of the United States. 

There was not much gold, but Columbus assured 
their Majesties that, as the rich mines of Cathay and 
Cipango could not be far from the islands, wealth 
in abundance was within reach. 

Columbus soon made ready to go on another 
voyage, for he wished to see how the litde colony 
he had left was getting on, and he longed to sail 
still farther, until he should come to Cathay and 
Cipango. 

Columbus made four voyages to the New World, 
and passed through many hardships: he was ship- 
wrecked; his men mutinied; he suffered much. 
He sailed about the Caribbean Sea and discovered 
South America and Central America ; but he never 
saw the mainland of North America, or knew that 
he had discovered a new world. 

The Spanish colonists that came to the New World 
were a rough set ; they did not want to work, for 
when they left Spain they thought that gold and 
silver could be had for the picking up. 

Columbus was not a wise ruler, and his officers 
were jealous of him. Complaints of his severity 
and bad rule were brought back to Spain, and 
the king and queen sent a man to see how true 
these reports were. This man ordered Columbus 
to be seized, and sent back to Spain in chains. 
The chains were taken off as soon as he reached 
Spain, and the man who had treated him so harshly 
was punished; but Columbus was not restored to 



Columbus. 25 

his old rank. He made his fourth voyage after this, 
but died a poor man, and neglected by those for 
whom he had done so much. 

He was buried in Spain, but about forty years 
later his body was carried to Haiti and interred in 
the cathedral there. When, about two hundred 
years later, that island was transferred to France, his 
bones were taken up and carried in state to Havana 
in Cuba. In 1898, when Spain was forced by the 
United States to give up Cuba, the bones of the 
great discoverer were carried back to Spain, and 
placed in the cathedral at Seville, January, 1899.^ 

OUTLINE. 

In 1492, after many difficulties, Columbus set sail from 
Palos, Spain, to find a direct way across the Atlantic Ocean 
to India. After a voyage of more than a month he reached, 
not India, but America. He never, knew he had found a 
new world. He died poor and neglected. 

Tell the story of Columbus as a boy and as a sailor. 
Tell what happened to him in Portugal ; in Spain. 
How many ships did he have, and from what port did he start? 
Tell the story of the voyage ; the landing. 
What did the Spaniards wish to find more than anything else? 
Tell the story of the return voyage ; how Columbus was received 
in Spain ; of his latter years and death. 

^ It is not at all unlikely that, through an error, the bones taken 
to Cuba were those of Diego, the son of Columbus. So it may be that 
the ashes of the great explorer still rest in Haiti. 



THE CABOTS. 



The news of the discoveries by Columbus quickly 
spread through Europe. John Cabot and his son 

Sebastian, natives of Ven- 
ice, Italy, were then living 
in Bristol, England. They 
were great sailors ; so, as 
soon as they heard what 
Columbus had done, they 
also were eager to go on 
a voyage of discovery, and 
they fitted out a vessel in 
which to sail to the west. 

It was needful, in those 
days, to get leave of the 
king to go on such a voy- 
age, for, unless a ship was under the protection of 
a king, it might be treated as a pirate. Henry VII., 
king of England, gladly gave them leave to go, and 
to have the use of any lands they might find, pro- 
vided he should be the acknowledged owner of the 
lands. The king might very well do this, for the 
expedition did not cost him a penny. 

The Cabots set out in 1497 from Bristol, and were 
gone about three months. Like Columbus they did 

26 




Sebastian Cabot. 

After the picture ascribed to Holbein. 



The Cabots. 27 

not find India, but, unlike him, they did find the 
continent of North America, 

It is thought that they reached the coast of Nova 
Scotia and the island of Cape Breton. They went 
on shore and took possession of the land in the 
name of Henry VII. of England, and of Venice. 
They saw no inhabitants, but found some snares 
set for catching game, and a needle for making 
nets ; these they carried off. 

Their arrival in England caused great excite- 
ment. John Cabot " dressed himself in silk," says 
a man who was in England at that time ; " and the 
English ran after him like mad, and called him 
' the great admiral.' " 

John Cabot longed to make another voyage, and 
the king, though he was miserly and disliked 
to spend any more money than was absolutely 
necessary, consented to help him. 

This time he had five vessels. He probably 
took with him his son Sebastian. So little did 
men know about the Atlantic Ocean that the 
Cabots sailed first almost to Iceland, and then 
toward Greenland. They went so far north that 
they met with many icebergs and much floating 
ice. 

Feeling sure that India could not be in that 
direction, they turned south. When near New- 
foundland they saw " bears come down to the 
shore and catch fish with their paws." " The sea 



28 History of the United States. 



^rV' 




The Coast of Newfoundland in Winter 300 Years Ago, 

After a drawing from nature by Lieut. A. Thompson, in " Bonnicastle's Newfoundland. 



The Cabots. 



29 



was so full of fish that the ships were hindered 
in sailing " — at least, this is the story they 
told. 

The Cabots still kept on, ever sailing south, until, 
it is supposed, they reached Chesapeake Bay, and 
possibly the coast of what is now South Carolina. 
On this voyage they became satisfied that these 
shores were not those of India or of Asia, but of 
" a new-found land, lying 
somewhere between India 
and Europe." But no gold 
or silver, or jewels, or 
silks, did they find. 

The English were dis- 
appointed, and, other mat- 
ters taking their attention, 
it was nearly a hundred 
years before they thought 
much of what John Cabot 
and his son Sebastian had 
done. Then they claimed 
the lands which those 
brave sailors had discovered, because the Cabots 
had sailed under the English flag, and had taken 
possession of the country, so many years before, in 
the name of an Ens^lish kinsf. 

An Italian sailor, Amerigo Vespucci, made several 
voyages to the New World. The account which he 
wrote was the first printed account of the new lands 




Americus Vespucius. 

After the picture attributed to Bronzino in 
the Massachusetts Historical Society's 
Gallery. 



30 History of the United States. 

beyond the sea. From him the New World has been 
called America.^ 

Nuncvcro &he^ partes funtlatiusIuflTatsc/&^ 

alia quarta pars per Amcricu Vcfputiumc vt ialc^ 

^ - quentibus audietur)inucnta eftrqua non. video cut 

Amc^ quis iurc vetet ab Americo inucntote fagads inge 

rico nfj viro Amcrigen quafi Ameridterram/iiue Amc 

licamdicendamtcum 8C Europa& Afiaamulicii^ 

bus fuafortita fint nomma.Eius fitu 8C gentis mo* 

f es eidbisl>ims.Ameridnauigaaonibus quf (irqaS 

turliquideintelligidatun 

F AC-SI MILE 

Of that part of the page in the " Cosmographiae Introductio " (1507), by Martin Waldsee- 
miiller, in which the name of America is proposed for the New World. 



OUTLINE. 

In 1497 John Cabot and his son Sebastian set sail from 
Bristol, England, and discovered the continent of North 
America, and claimed it for England. They made a second 
voyage, and sailed along the coast for many hundred miles. 
The New World is called America from Amerigo Vespucci, 
whose story was the first printed account of it. 

Who were the Cabots ? 

From what country did they set sail? 

Tell what they discovered. 

Tell in whose name they took possession of the land. 

Tell the story of the Cabots' second voyage. 

How did the New World come to be called America? 

1 The Latin form of his name is Americus Vespucius. 




The Globe of Ulpius, 1542. 



DE SOTO AND OTHER EXPLORERS. 

In 1497, the same year in which the Cabots 
made their first voyage, Vasco da Gama, who was 
in the service of the king of Portugal, sailed along 
the coast of Africa until he came to the Cape of 
Good Hope. He did not stop, as others had done, 
but went round it, crossed the Indian Ocean, and 
reached a land which he found to be the true 
India. 

31 




Vasco da Gama. 



32 History of the United States. 

The king of Calicut and other princes gave him 

rich gifts of gold, jewels, 
spices, and silks. After 
nearly two years' absence 
from Portugal, he re- 
turned, bringing with him 
these rich goods. It was 
Portugal, after all, and not 
Spain, that had discovered 
the way to get to India 
by sea. 

The Spaniards con- 
tinued to send out expedi- 
tions to the New World. 
One of the most famous of these was the enter- 
prise of Ponce de Leon. 
He had sailed once 
with Columbus ; he had 
passed through many 
hardships in various coun- 
tries ; 

be young and 
again. He believed in the 
fabled fountains of youth, 
one of which was sup- 
posed to be situated not 
far to the west of Cuba, 
and he resolved to seek 

After an engraving in " Herrara." Edition 



and he longed to 



strong 




Ponce de Leon. 



It 



of 1728. 



De Soto and Other Explorers. 33 

He left Cuba in 1 5 1 3, and soon came to a land 
which he named Florida. He found there beauti- 




PoNCE DE Leon and his men in 
Florida. 

By D. Munro. The sceneiy is from nature 



ful trees and flowers, and rivers and streams, 
l3ut no fountain of health, though he searched far 
and wide. Before long he left Florida. After 



34 



History of the United States, 



some years he came back, intending to estabHsh 
a colony. 

Soon after landing, his party was attacked by 
Indians, and many of the Spaniards were killed, 
De Leon himself receiving a wound from an arrow, 
from which he died within a few weeks. 

Another brave Spaniard was Hernando de Soto. 
He, like so many others of his nation, set out in 

search of gold and adven- 
ture. He had been in 
South America, but had 
come back to Spain. Hear- 
ing of the lands to the 
north, which seemed to 
promise so much, he sailed 
again for the New World, 
taking with him about six 
hundred men. This was in 

1538. 

De Soto went first to 
Florida, and, on landing, 
began at once to seek for gold. Whenever the 
Spaniards asked where gold could be found, the 
Indians always pointed toward the west ; there, 
they said, was a land where it was summer most of 
the year, and there, too, were great quantities of 
gold ; so plenty was it that men even wore golden 
shoes. 

Such a land was just the place for which De Soto 




Hernando de Soto 



De Soto and Other Explorers. 



35 



and his companions were searching, and, with hearts 
full of hope, they set out to find this land of sum- 
mer and of gold. 

They wandered about in Florida for months — now 
pushing through forests and swamps, now crossing 
rivers, and now getting lost in wildernesses of vines 
and tangled thickets. Still the Indians pointed 



■^/f * '^^1 




A Scene on De Soto's Route. 

From Charnay's " Ancient Cities of the New World. 



west. Once De Soto's little army attacked an 
Indian village, seized a hundred men and women, 
and carried them off. The poor captives were 
made slaves ; iron collars were clasped around their 
necks, and all the work of grinding maize and carry- 
ing the baggage was forced upon them. 

De Soto and his companions were not discouraged 
by their failure to find gold in Florida. On and on 



36 



History of the United States. 



they went into the wilderness. They were hungry 
and thirsty ; many were taken sick and died ; some- 
times bands of Indians made fierce attacks upon 
them ; but nothing coukl turn De Soto back. 

For three years they wandered on, until they came 
to a large stream, which the Indians called " The 




De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi. 

After the picture by W. H. Powell, in the Capitol at Washington. 



Great River," but which is now known as the 
Mississippi. The water was muddy ; in the stream 
were many trees and branches carried down by 
the force of the current. It took the Spaniards 
thirty days to build two barges on which to cross 
the river. Still they went westward. 



De Soto and Other Explorers. 37 

De Soto sickened and died. His illness and 
death were kept secret, through fear that the Indians, 
hearing of his death, would attack the little army. 
Finding that the Indians suspected what had hap- 
pened, and fearing that they would steal De Soto's 
body, the Spaniards wrapped it in blankets weighted 
with sand, and at midnight carried it in a canoe to 
the middle of the great river, and sunk it in the 
stream. 

De Soto's followers had now utterly lost heart, 
and longed to get back to their homes in Spain. 
They dared not attempt to return by the path along 
which they had come, but tried to find the nearest 
way to Mexico. After going some distance they 
lost all hope of being able to reach that country 
overland, and returned to the Mississippi. 

There they spent the winter. They determined 
to build boats in which to float down the river to 
its mouth, wherever that might be. There was only 
one ship-carpenter to direct the work. They cut 
down trees for the timbers ; they made nails out of 
the chains with which they had bound the poor 
Indian slaves ; they made sails out of some rude 
cloth which they obtained from the Indians, and, 
after weeks of hard work, they were ready to start 
on their almost desperate voyage. 

More than five years had gone by since they 
had left Spain ; and now about three hundred, all 
that remained of that brave band of six hundred 



38 



History of the United States. 



Spanish adventurers, were embarking in these rude 
boats and in a few small canoes. It was a sad, 
weary, famishing company. 

Their troubles were not ended, for on their voyage 
they were attacked by hostile Indians, who sunk some 
of their canoes, drownino: twelve of their number. 



THE TVZOS R 

IN I T I]/d ^S 




i N T 1 C 



E A N 






S iVV T H 
A .^I K K I C A 



MAP ILLUSTRATING SPANISH EXPLORATIONS. 



In fifty-two days they reached the Gulf of Mexico, 
and learned that there was a Spanish settlement 
not far off. When they reached the place they went 
on shore, and, falling down, kissed the ground and 
gave thanks to God for their deliverance. 



De Soto and Other Explorers. 39 



OUTLINE. 

Vasco da Gama, in 1497, sailed round the Cape of Good 
Hope to India. Ponce de Leon sought the fountain of 
youth in Florida. De Soto searched for gold in Florida 
and the western wilderness. He discovered the Mississippi 
River, died, and was buried in its stream. His followers 
suffered great hardships. 

Tell who found out the way by sea to India. 

Tell the story of Ponce de Leon. 

Tell the story of De Soto. 

Describe his death and the hardships of his followers. 



DRAKE AND RALEIGH. 

The English did not begin to think much about 
the New World until some years after the great 
Elizabeth came to the throne. 

Eno-land had fought with Spain, and had been 
victorious on land and sea. She had grown to be 




COAST OF VIRGINIA IN THE TIME OF RALEIGH 



a great seafaring nation. Her captains had sailed 
to the West Indies and to South America, and had 
captured many Spanish treasure ships. 

The most daring of these captains was Erancis 
Drake. On one of his expeditions he landed on 
the Isthmus of Panama, where from a tree-top he 
saw, for the first time, the Pacific. He was filled 
with longing to sail upon that ocean which no 
Englishman had yet visited. He returned to Eng- 

40 



Drake and Raleigh. 



41 




land, however, and it was not until four years later, 
in 1577, that he set sail from Plymouth on his famous 
voyage. He started with 
five small vessels, well 
armed and fitted out for a 
long voyage. His chief 
aim was plunder. He 
sailed for the west coast 
of South America, where 
he hoped to get booty 
from the Spanish settle- 
ments, and to capture the 
Spanish ships laden with 
treasure from Peru. Queen 
Elizabeth herself was a 
partner in the venture. 

His own vessel, the Pelican, passed safely through 
the Strait of Magellan ; the other vessels either were 
lost or deserted him, and he searched for them 
in vain. He met severe storms, which drove him 
far out of his course. When fine weather came, he 
sailed to the north, touching at various places to 
get supplies and plunder. 

At Valparaiso, he and his men surprised and cap- 
tured a Spanish ship, the Captain of the Soictk, and 
secured great booty. At another place they landed 
and found a Spaniard sleeping with fourteen bars of 
silver near him ; they seized the silver and left the 
man asleep. 



Sir Francis Drake. 

From the original oil painting at Buckland 
Abbey, England. 



42 History of the United States. 





In the Straits of Magellan. 

After the drawing by E. Whymper in Crawford's " Across the Pampas. 



Drake and Raleigh. 43 

Thus they went on, capturing vessels and secur- 
ing treasure. Hearing that a richly laden ship had 
recently sailed for Spain, they pursued and captured 
it with little difficulty, as the captain had no idea 
that an English ship was in the Pacific. On board 
this vessel were many jewels and precious stones, 
thirteen chests of silver coins, eighty pounds' weight 
of gold, and twenty-six tons of uncoined silver. It 
was one of the richest prizes that had ever fallen 
into the hands of a freebooter. 

After this, Drake visited the coast of what is now 
California and Oregon, calling it New Albion. He 
then crossed the Pacific, rounded the Cape of Good 
Hope, and, after three years' absence, reached Eng- 
land safely with all his plunder, being the first Eng- 
lishman to sail around the world. Queen Elizabeth 
received him with great favor, dined on board the 
Pelican, and made Drake a knight. 

Sir Walter Raleigh was at this time one of the 
most noted men in England, and a great favorite 
with tlTe queen. He was indeed a gallant gentle- 
man, a brave soldier, and a daring sailor. The 
story goes that once, when he was a young man, he 
had spread his richly embroidered cloak over a 
muddy place in the road, so that Elizabeth might 
not wet her royal feet, and that this act of gallantry 
greatly pleased the queen. 

It was not hard for Raleigh to gain the queen's 
permission to send out two ships, chiefly at his own 



44 



History of the United States. 



cost. The vessels reached what Is now Roanoke 
Island, off the coast of North Carolina. This was 
about ninety years after the voyage of the Cabots. 

The explorers found a number of Indians who 
were very friendly. When some of the men landed, 




Spanish Treasure Ship. 

After drawings in the English State papers sent home by an English spy. 

the Indian chief sent them every day deer, fish, 
melons, and the " corn of the country," w^hich the 
English said was " very fair, white, and well tasted." 
As Raleigh had sent out the ships only to explore, 
it was soon time to return. The explorers brought 



Drake and Raleigh, 



45 



back with them, among other things, buffalo and 
deer skins, a bracelet of " pearls as big as peas," and 
two of the natives. 

When Raleigh heard the report of this expedition, 
he named the land Virginia, in honor of EHzabeth, 
who liked to be 
known as the 
Virgin Queen. 
After this voyage 
he styled himself 
"Walter Raleigh, 
soldier, lord, and 
governor of Vir- 
ginia." 

Raleigh sent 
out, the next 
year, 1585, about 
one hundred col- 
onists to settle 
on Roanoke Isl- 
and. These colo- 
nists had a hard 
time. Like so 

many others of the early days, they had gone out to 
the new country in the expectation of having an 
easier life than they had led at home; but they knew 
neither how to work nor how to adapt themselves 
to their surroundings. 

When the great captain, Sir Francis Drake, 




Sir Walter Raleigh. 

After the picture in the collection of the Duchess of 
Dorset. 



46 History of the United States. 

stopped at the island on his way home from the 
West Indies, though it was only about a year since 
Raleigh's colonists had left England, they were eager 
to go back with him. Drake tried to persuade them 
to remain, but a great storm arose, and leaving 
everything they hurried on board Drake's ships, 
which set sail for home. 

Only a few days after they had gone, a ship, 
loaded with supplies which Raleigh had sent for 
his infant colony, arrived and found no one. Two 
weeks later, three more ships came, but of course 
no trace could be found of the colonists. Sir Rich- 
ard Grenville, the commander, wishing to hold the 
place for the English, left fifteen men, with provi- 
sions enough to last them two years. 

About a year later, a ship with more colonists 
came to look after the little band Grenville had 
left. When they landed they found no living per- 
son, but only some human bones lying on the 
ground. The houses which the first party had 
built were still standing, but in the roofless huts, 
melons were growing and wild deer were feeding. 

Grenville had treated the natives with much harsh- 
ness and there could be little doubt that the miss- 
ing colonists had been murdered by the Indians, 
whose first kindly welcome had been met so ungra- 
ciously. 

Soon after the arrival of this new band, a little 
girl was born on Roanoke Island, — the first child 



Drake and Raleigh. 47 

born in America of English parents. Her name was 
Virginia Dare. Shortly after, the ships returned to 
England, leaving the little colony to itself. 

England was at war with Spain, who was mak- 
ing every effort to crush her rival. Spain gathered 
together a great fleet, which she was so sure could 
never be beaten that she called it the '^ Invincible 
Armada." 

Raleigh, in common with all other Englishmen, 
was now thinking of the defence of his country, and 
could not send out any aid to the colony. But soon 
the Armada was scattered by a great storm, and the 
great danger to England and English ships had 
passed away. Vessels were again allowed by the 
government to sail, and an expedition set out for 
Roanoke Island. 

Three years had passed since anything had been 
heard from the settlers. When the vessels reached 
the place, the sailors blew with a trumpet and sang 
some English songs, but they received no answer. 
Not one of the colonists could be found. The 
houses had been taken down, and the whole place 
was desolate. 

At last, on the trunk of a tree, the bark of which 
had been stripped off, they saw carved, in clear, well- 
formed letters, the word Croatoan ; that was the 
only trace that was found of the former colonists. 
All had disappeared, including the little Virginia 
Dare, and to this day no one knows certainly what 



48 History of the United States. 

became of them. It is most Hkely that for some 
reason they moved to another island, called Croa- 
toan. Here they doubtless had been attacked by the 
Indians, when some were killed and the others taken 
into captivity; for, many years after, stories were 
told of pale-faced persons living among the Indians. 

It was a hundred years after the discovery of the 
New World, and still England had no permanent 
colony in America. Raleigh had spent a large for- 
tune in trying to settle colonies, only to be sadly 
disappointed. But he was a man who put before 
himself the motto, " Do all things with thy might," 
so he tried again. 

This time he sent out Bartholomew Gosnold to 
seek for Nurembega, as New England was called. 
Gosnold sailed northward, and landed on one of the 
islands near the mouth of Buzzards Bay. Here, in 
1602, he built a fort, but it was soon abandoned. 
The name Elizabeth, which Gosnold gave to the 
island in honor of the queen, a name now borne by 
the whole group, is all that remains to tell of this 
effort of Sir Walter Raleigh.' 

Sir Walter Raleigh's plans failed, but he was 
after all the pioneer in English settlement. He is 
remembered not only for his great perseverance, 
but also because to him, more than to any other 
person, Europe owes the early introduction of 
potatoes and tobacco. 

1 The island is now called Cuttyhunk. 



Drake and Raleigh. 40 

Raleigh took the potatoes which one of his ves- 
sels brought, and planted them in the fields of his 
estate in Ireland. This was many years before the 
efforts of a French king succeeded in making the 
vegetable a popular one in Europe. 

Raleigh, moreover, was the first to show Eng- 
lishmen how the strange Indian plant tobacco was 
used. It is said that his servant found him one day 
smoking in his room, and threw a bucket of water 
over him, thinking him to be on fire. 

OUTLINE. 

England paid little attention to the New World for nearly 
a century. In 1577 Drake started on his voyage to seek 
plunder in the Pacific. He passed through the Straits of 
Magellan. He had great success. Was the first English- 
man to sail round the world. Sir Walter Raleigh's* attempts 
to colonize. Failed twice ; at Roanoke Island, at Elizabeth 
Islands. Introduced potatoes and tobacco. 

Tell the story of Drake's voyage ; its chief object. 

Tell how far he sailed and how successful he was. 

Tell the story of Raleigh's expeditions. 

For whom did he name Virginia? 

What plants did he introduce into Europe ? 



VIRGINIA AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 

Anglo-Saxons are not easily discouraged, and the 
failures of some did not keep others from trying 
their fortunes in the New World. There were 
many things to attract : boundless forests of fine 
trees; beautiful rivers and streams; wild animals 
without number, some of them good for food, 
others whose skins were valuable for their fur. 




VIRGINIA IN EARLY DAYS 



There were fertile fields, many wild fruits, and rivers 
and seas abounding with fish. Moreover, almost 
every one felt sure that somewhere in this wonder- 
ful country there must be an abundance of gold and 
silver. 

The hope of finding these precious metals was 

50 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 51 

enough to make many wiUing to cross the ocean. 
Crossing the ocean in those days meant more 
than it does now, for the largest ships were small 
compared with those of our day. The cabins were 
small, close, and unhealthy ; the rigging and sails 
were clumsy. There were no charts to guide the 
captains, no lighthouses to warn of dangerous 
shores, and no buoys to mark the rocks and shoals. 
Men felt that they were taking their lives in their 
hands when they started to cross the seas. 

In the year 1606, two English companies w^ere 
formed, for the double purpose of trading with the 
New World and of planting colonies in it. One was 
called the London Company, because most of those 
who belonged to it lived in or near London, and the 
other was called the Plymouth Company, because 
many of its members lived in or near Plymouth. 

Efforts at settlement were now begun in earnest, 
and, in the same year, the London Company sent 
out three vessels with men who expected to stay in 
the New World. Strange to say, they took no women 
with them, just as if men could be contented to live 
any length of time without wives, or could have real 
homes without women. 

It was a strange company. Of the one hundred 
and five men, only twelve called themselves labor- 
ers; about half said they were "gentlemen," which 
meant that they neither knew how to work nor 
wished to learn. There were four carpenters, only 



52 History of the United States. 

one blacksmith, one bricklayer, one tailor, one mason, 
and two doctors. 

The vessels left England in December, and it 
was May, 1607, before they reached Chesapeake 
Bay. The capes at its mouth they named Cape 
Charles and Cape Henry, for two sons of the 
king, and a point of land opposite the mouth of the 




Jamestown. 

After the sketch made by Miss C. C. Hopley about 1857, showing the ruined church. 

bay seemed so cheering after their long voyage that 
they called it Point Comfort. A beautiful river they 
called the James, after the king, and on its banks 
they began to build a town which they named 
Jamestown. 

Among the colonists there was a young man 
who was called Captain John Smith. So many 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 53 



stories have been told about him that one hardly 
knows what to believe. What we really know about 
him shows that he was no common man, and, if 
half that he says of himself is true, few men ever 
had more surprising adventures. Many of his 
stories are quite as strange as those of Sir John 
Mandeville and Marco Polo. 

Captain Smith tells us that he ran away from 
home when he was a mere boy, that he became a 
soldier, and afterward a sailor. He was ship- 
wrecked ; he was 
robbed ; at one 
time he was 
thrown into the 
sea, because 
those on board 
the ship thought 
that he had been 
the cause of a 
great storm. He 
says that he 
fought, single 
handed, three in- 
fidels, and cut 
off their heads. 

At another 
time, he was 
taken prisoner by the Turks, and sold as a slave. 
He was then sent as a gift to a young Turkish lady, 




Captain John Smith. 

From the map in his " Description of New England. 



54 History of the United States. 

who was attracted by his inteUigence, and much 
moved by his misfortunes. Dreading lest her mother 
should see that she was getting fond of her slave, 
and fearful that he might be sold, she sent him to 
her brother, who proved to be a very hard master. 
He treated Smith cruelly, put an iron collar round 
his neck, and set him to work beating out grain with 
a club instead of a flail. 

One day his master came along and struck him. 
This made Smith so angry that he raised the club 
he was using, and killed his master with it. Smith 
knew that there was nothing to do but try to es- 
cape, so he dressed himself in his master's clothes, 
leaped on a horse, and rode off as fast as possible. 
He managed to rid himself of his iron collar and to 
reach Russia; and, after many wonderful adventures, 
he came to England. 

When Smith heard of the expedition about to 
start for Virginia, he thought that this was just 
the thing for him, so he joined the company that 
was soino: out. But his adventures were not ended, 
for on the voyage he was accused of mutiny, and 
was put in irons until the vessel reached America. 

As soon as the company landed. Smith claimed 
the right to be tried ; a trial was granted, and he 
was found innocent. No matter what happened 
to him, Smith never seemed to be cast down ; his 
energy and self-reliance were equal to every occa- 
sion. 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 55 



Though he was only twenty-eight years old, fond 
of telling marvellous stories, and certainly a good 
deal of a boaster, he appears to have had more 
common-sense than any one else in the company. 

When the colonists arrived m America the 
weather was pleasant, and they were in no hurry 
to build houses, especially as that would be hard 
work, which they did not like. When the summer 
came, with its heat, so much greater than that of 
England, many were taken sick and died; the 
whole settlement, in _ ._ 

fact, was like a hos- 
pital. When this 
trouble was over, a 
number of men con- 
cluded to go back to 
England, but, by en- 
couraging some of 
them and threatening 
others, Smith man- 
aged to quiet their 
discontent. 

Food was scarce, 
so Smith, with six or 
seven others, set out 
to try to get some 
corn from the Indians. At first the Indians, know- 
ing that the white men were hungry, offered only 
a handful or so of the grain in exchange for the 




Palisaded Indian Village. 

Algonkin village of Pomeiock, on Albemarle 
Sound, in 1585. After John Wyth, copied in 
Morgan. 



56 History of the United States. 

articles which had been brought. Smith soon saw 
that there was httle prospect of doing anything in 
the way of trade, and told his men to fire their guns. 
The noise and smoke frightened the Indians so 
that they ran off as fast as they could. 

After a while the Indians returned, and with 
some difficulty an arrangement was made with 
them by which, in exchange for beads, copper, and 
hatchets, they brought the Englishmen venison, tur- 
keys, wild fowl, and other articles of food. It was 
long since the settlers had had such a feast. 

Men still thought that America was a narrow 
country from east to west, and that there must be 
somewhere a strait, or river, through which ships 
might sail to India. Captain John Smith hoped 
to find such a passage, and several times made 
excursions around Chesapeake Bay in search of it. 

At one time, with a party he explored the Chicka- 
hominy River. He had some surprising adventures, 
and was captured by the Indians. He should have 
been killed, he says, had he not thought of his 
pocket compass. The moving needle which the 
Indians saw but could not touch, because of the 
glass cover, astonished them so much that they 
spared his life. But they did not let him go. He 
was led to a village where many Indians, who 
were gayly painted and strangely ornamented with 
skins and feathers, danced around him, yelling and 
screeching. 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 57 



He was then taken to a long hut and closely 
watched. He was given plenty of food, but he was 
afraid to eat much, for he thought that they were 
trying to make him fat before the time came to 
kill and eat him. At last the principal chief de- 
cided to put Smith to death. 

As Smith tells the story in one of his books, 
he was brought into a large hut, his head was 
placed on " two great stones," 
and the Indians had their 
clubs raised to beat out his 
brains, when the daughter of 
the chief, a girl ten or twelve 
years old, rushed out of the 
crowd, took Smith's head in 
her arms, laid her own upon 
it, and thus saved his life. 

This is Smith's own story, 
but, as he said nothing about 
this incident until several 




Pocahontas. 



years afterward, many think ''Zi'J::^:^ '^X^ 



in Booton 
painted 



shortly before she died. 



that it is one of the marvel- 
lous tales that he was so fond of telling. There is 
no doubt, however, that Powhatan and Pocahontas 
were real persons. Powhatan soon sent Smith back 
to Jamestown. He found the colonists in a bad way, 
and, had it not been for the corn which they got 
from the Indians, much of which Smith says was 
brought by Pocahontas, many must have starved. 



58 History of the United States. 

Pocahontas was not only the means of supplying 
the Enghsh with food, but more than once, when the 
Indians were about to make attacks, she gave warn- 
ing, and thus put the colonists on their guard. 

Pocahontas afterward married John Rolfe, one 
of the Englishmen. She visited England with her 
husband, and, after being made much of, was about 
to start on her return to America when she was 
seized with smallpox and died. She left a little boy, 
from whom several well-known Virginia families are 
proud to trace their descent. 

The settlers were by this time almost completely 
discouraged, but soon more men arrived. These, 
however, were of the same sort as the first ship-load. 
Smith was now chosen president of the colony. 
He made a rule that nobody should eat who did not 
work. The so-called gentlemen did not like this 
rule at all, but they were forced by the others to obey, 
and, as long as Smith was at the head, affairs were 
in better condition. He was almost the only one 
of the early explorers who wasted no time in search- 
ing for gold and silver, and who saw the necessity 
of steady work. 

In the spring of 1609, five hundred emigrants 
from England arrived, among them some women 
and children. Smith's rule seemed harsh, and he 
became unpopular. He claimed to have suffered 
some bodily injury; at any rate, he said he must 
return to England to have his wound properly 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 



59 



dressed. It is more likely that he was dissatisfied 
with the condition of affairs in the colony, and took 
advantage of a good excuse to get away. 

After he left, affairs went on from bad to worse. 
There was no one to take Smith's place in dealing 
with the Indians, and they became very hostile. 
No food could be had. Fishes abounded in the 




Shores of the Sound, Roanoke Island. 

After a sketch from nature. 

rivers and bay, but only one man seems to have 
thought it worth while to catch any. 

In their desperation, the colonists ate all the 
animals they had brought with them, not only their 
dogs but also their horses. Then they ate rats, 
mice, and snakes. By June, 1610, there were only 
sixty men left of the five hundred of the year before. 



6o History of the United States. 

Just when there seemed to be no hope, two Httle 
vessels made their appearance. They were vessels 
which had been built at the Bermuda Islands by a 
crew shipwrecked on the way to Virginia. They 
had plenty of provisions, which they had collected 
on the islands, and so the lives of the colonists were 
saved. 

The settlers, however, thoroughly disheartened, 
determined to leave Virginia, and try to reach New- 
foundland, or some place where they might find a 
way to get back to England. All had embarked in 
the little vessels, and were actually sailing for the 
mouth of the bay, when they met a ship bringing a 
new governor for Virginia, and more colonists. So 
they decided to turn back and begin life over again 
in America. 

The London Company's Virginia business was 
poorly managed in England. Many persons had 
invested money, and complained that it was bring- 
ing no return. As the lands and goods were held 
in common by the colony, it soon came to pass that 
the lazy ones left all the work for the industrious to 
do, and many complaints came from the overworked 
colonists. The governor was harsh, and very likely 
unjust. In the colony there were few women ; and 
real homes, without which a settlement cannot 
become a permanent success, were unknown. 

Many young women were persuaded to go out to 
Virginia, the colonists paying their passage and 



Virginia and Captain John Smith. 6i 

other expenses, and taking them for wives. As the 
number of men was far greater than that of the 
young women, the latter could do much as they 
pleased. For thirteen years, this way of supplying 
wives was kept up. 

When there were homes in Virginia there was 
no more talk of returning to England ; and as the 
colonists, meantime, found a very profitable crop in 
tobacco, they were more than willing to remain. 
Then, too, children and young persons were grow- 
ing up who had never known England, and who 
loved the free life of the new country. 



OUTLINE. 

The hope of finding gold and silver made many cross 
the ocean. In 1606 two English companies were formed 
for trading and colonizing. The colonists were ill-fitted 
for their Hfe. They reached Virginia in 1607 and founded 
Jamestown. Captain John Smith, the clearest-headed man. 
His life. Story of the sufferings of the colonists, and what 
he did to help them. Powhatan and Pocahontas. Further 
history of the colony. 

Tell what two companies were formed for colonizing America ; 
the kind of men who went out. 

When did the ships reach Virginia, and what town did they 
establish ? 

Give the story of Captain John Smith's life. 

What did he do for the colony ? 

Tell the story of Pocahontas ; of the colonists after Smith left. 



HENRY HUDSON. 

The Dutch, at the beginning of the seventeenth 
century, were great sailors and traders. No country 
in the world owned more ships than did Holland. 
The Dutch had a large trade with the East Indies, 
and lonofed for a shorter route to these reo-ions. 
They were of the opinion that such a route could 
be discovered, either by sailing to the north of 
Europe, or else by finding a passage through the 
continent of North America. 

They wanted a sea captain to take charge of an 
exploring expedition, and they looked about for one 
who had sailed in the northern and western seas. 
Hearing of Henry Hudson, an English sailor who 
had made some daring voyages, they sent for him. 

Satisfied that he was the kind of man they wanted, 
they gave him the command of a small ship called 
the Half Moon, in which to search for the desired 
" Northwest Passage," or some other short route to 
India. 

Henry Hudson first sailed along the coast of 
Norway, passing North Cape ; but he met with so 
much ice that he had to turn back. This did not 
discourage him. He had received from his friend, 

62 



H 



enry 



Hudson. 



Captain John Smith, a letter which said that there 
was a strait north of Virginia which would lead to 
the south seas. 

Hudson turned his vessel westward across the 
Atlantic, and, passing near Greenland, reached 
the shores of Newfoundland. He then sailed to 




rhr..,-,prak,- Bav 



Map to illustrate Henry Hudson's Voyages. 

the south as far as Chesapeake Bay, but he saw 
no strait. Turning north, he came to Delaware 
Bay, but finding that this was not the passage of 
which he was in search, he pushed on still further 
north, scanning the shores very closely as he went. 
At last he came to an opening in the coast, which 
he thought must be the long-sought passage to 
India. The waters of the stream were salt. Con- 



64 History of the United States. 

vinced that this was the strait of which Captain 
John Smith had written, Hudson, for a hundred 
miles or more, sailed up the beautiful river which 
now bears his name. 

The Half Moon was often visited by Indians. 
Around New York Bay and the lower part of the 
river most of them were unfriendly, but there were 
some who came in canoes to exchange tobacco and 
maize for knives and beads. At one time, twenty- 
eieht canoes full of men, women, and children were 
around the Half Moon. 

Hudson seized two Indians, intending to keep 
them, but one day they slipped quietly out of one 
of the port-holes of the vessel, dropped into the 
water, and swam off. When they had gone some 
distance they scornfully hailed the ship, making 
fun of the sailors. 

Farther up the river the natives w^ere very 
friendly, and brought tobacco, venison, and skins 
to the strangers. Hudson went on shore and 
visited an Indian chief, who made for him a great 
feast of roast pigeons and roast dog. The chief 
invited Hudson to stay all night, and broke his 
arrows to show that he meant no harm to his vis- 
itors. But Hudson thought that the cabin of the 
Half Moon was a safer place in which to sleep 
than the hut of an Indian chief. 

Greatly to Hudson's disappointment, the river 
now proved to be too shallow for his vessel, and he 



■ Henry Hudson. 65 

was forced to give up all hope of reaching India 
in that way. He returned to England in Novem- 
ber, 1609, and went thence to Holland to report 
his failure. 

He gave, however, such attractive accounts of 
what he had seen, and especially of the furs which 



■' 'U^^ "^"^'d ^^^^ 



,;xf ^^^%xi^^r^ 




The " Half Moon" at the Highlands. 

After the painting by T. Moran. 

could be obtained from the Indians in exchange 
for mere trifles, that the Dutch sent out men to 
trade with the Indians. 

Hudson now started on another voyage in search 
of a northwest passage to India. He went far to 
the north, and discovered the great bay which has 
been named for him. He spent three months in 
exploring the shores of this bay, and then, before 



66 History of the United States. 

he could get away, his vessel was caught in the 
ice, and was held fast for more than seven months. 

Soon after the ice broke up, Hudson's men muti- 
nied, and seizing him and his son and six other 
men, who were sick or unfit to work, put them 
into an open boat. They were given a little food, 
some powder and shot, and then set adrift. One 
other man joined the castaways of his own accord. 
The little boat soon disappeared among the floating- 
ice. 

The mutinous crew suffered extreme privations, 
and many of them died. The survivors made their 
way out of the ice after a time, and, having met a 
ship which came to their assistance, finally reached^ 
Ireland. As for Hudson and his eight companions, 
nothing more was ever heard of them. 

OUTLINE. 

The Dutch wished to find a passage to India and em- 
ployed Henry Hudson. He sailed to Newfoundland, and 
along the coast to Chesapeake Bay ; turned back and 
discovered New York Bay and Hudson River; returned 
to Europe ; started on another voyage and discovered 
Hudson's Bay, where he met his death. 

Why did the Dutch employ Hudson? 

Tell the story of his first voyage ; of his discoveries« 

How did he meet his death? 



THE PILGRIMS. 

Three hundred years ago it was commonly 
thought that men and women should worship God 
in the way that the government of their country 
thought best. If any one refused to do this, he was 
punished : he might be made to pay a fine, his goods 
might be taken away from him ; he might be sent 
out of the country away from his home and friends, 
and forbidden to come back ; he might even be sold 
into slavery, or something very much like it. 

It may be hard to believe that England treated 
her own people thus, but even the great Queen 
Elizabeth held that all men should conform; that is 
to say, they should act alike in religious matters. 

Now in England there were good men and 
women who believed that there were many things 
in the church services which ought to be given up, 
in order that the worship of God might be more 
simple, or pure, as they liked to say. Because these 
people wished to purify the church service, they 
came to be called " Puritans." 

Others thought that the only thing to do was to 
leave the church or separate from it, so that they 
could worship as they thought right. Neither the 
" Puritans " nor the " Separatists," as these latter 

67 



68 History of the United States. 

were called, believed that the king of the country 
should be the head of the church. 

A little band of " Separatists " was accustomed to 
meet at a small village, not far from the centre of 
England, called Scrooby. They were watched day 
and night, and some were seized and put into prison. 

Sadly they came to see that, if they wished to 
keep on in their w^ay of worship and belief, they 
should have to leave their homes and seek another 
country in which to live. Hearing that in Holland 
there was freedom of worship for all men, they 
resolved to go there. 

The very same year in which Captain John Smith 
went to Virginia with the Jamestown colony, this 
little band of men and women began their journey 
to Holland. They hired a captain to take them in 
his vessel across the North Sea. They were to 
start from old Boston in Lincolnshire. 

The captain did not meet them as he had prom- 
ised, but kept them waiting a long time in uncer- 
tainty. When he did come, he took them on board 
the ship at night. Now they thought they were off 
at last, but the captain had told the king's officers 
all about them, and before the ship put to sea, the 
ofhcers came on board, seized the would-be emi- 
grants, put them into an open boat, and there 
searched them in a very rough manner, to see if 
they had any money. 

Deprived of their money, books, and other goods, 



The Pilgrims. 



69 



the poor emigrants were then cast into prison. 
After a month or so, most of them were set free, 
thouo^h others were detained still lono^er. 

The next spring some of these " Separatists " 
tried again to get away. This time they engaged a 
Dutch captain to carry them to Holland. All was 




|k__j im Ft iji- 1 i- 



A House in Leyden. 

As it was in 1620. 



going on well, a number of men were already on 
board and hope was high in their hearts, when 
some armed men were seen approaching the water- 
side. As soon as the Dutch captain saw them, he 
hoisted his sails and went off, parting husbands and 
wives, parents and children. 

It was a sad company on board the ship, but it 
was a sadder company on the shore. Most of 
those who were left were women and children, for 



70 



History of the United States. 



the husbands and fathers had reached the shore first, 
and many of them had gone on board the ship. 

The EngHsh magistrates did not know what to 
do with the women and children. These people 
had no homes to w^iich they could return ; they 
could not well be sent to prison for wishing to 
accompany their husbands and fathers ; and so 

after they had 
been sent from 
place to place, 
the m a 2: i s- 
strates were 
glad to get rid 
of them, and 
allowed them 
to go to Hol- 




Leyden. 



land 



as 



best 



From a bird's-eye view dated 1670. The bell tower marks the spot f ]-j^p y YTi i O" ll t 
where John Robinson, the pilgrim's pastor, was buried. -^ '^ 

Here, some at 
one time and some at another, they met with their 
friends and loved ones. 

The emigrants went first to Amsterdam, and then 
to Leyden. After staying in Holland eleven or 
twelve years, they began to talk of removing to 
another country. The dreary life they led kept 
others from joining them ; and many were growing 
old. 

It was bad for their children because of the 
temptations which surrounded th'em, and because 



The Pilgrims. 71 

they could not be educated as their parents had 
been. The people among whom they lived spoke 
a different language, and it was not to be expected 
that boys and girls would grow up English boys 
and girls in Holland. Lastly, these earnest exiles 
longed to spread the Gospel in the far-off parts of 
the world. 

No country seemed to offer so many advantages 
as did that part of America known as Virginia. 
There they would be under the English rule ; there 
only the English language would be spoken; and in 
an English colony their children could grow up to 
manhood and womanhood, knowing only English 
customs and English home life. 

It was true that their little flock had been com- 
pelled to leave England, but they had some reason 
for thinking that King James would grant them 
liberty and freedom of religion in that far-off land. 
It was a long time before anything could be ar- 
ranged, but at length leave to plant a colony in 
America was obtained from the London Company. 
When the time came to go, only about one-third 
of the members of the church at Leyden started, 
for sufficient money could not be raised to take 
them all. 

The Pilgrims, for such they felt themselves to be, 
went first to Delfthaven, where their honored pas- 
tor, John Robinson, took leave of them with a loving 
farewell. They sailed to Southampton, and from 



72 



History of the United States. 



that place, August 5, 1620, two small vessels, the 
Mayfloiver and the Speedwell, set sail with the little 
band of emigrants. 

Well might these men and women be called Pil- 
grims. They had gone from England to Amster- 



^7i^ 



■w^ 




Model of the " Mayflower." 

In the National Museum at Washington. 

dam, from Amsterdam to Leyden, and now they 
were on their w^ay to wild and unknown lands 
beyond the great ocean, hoping to find a place 
where they might worship God as they thought 
right, and where they might bring up their children 
in His fear. 

The two ships had not gone far, when the Speed- 



The Pilgrims. 



73 



well was found to be leaking so badly that both 
vessels put back to Plymouth. The Speedwell was 
leit behindhand many of her passengers were crowded 
into the Mayflower, which set sail September 6. 

It was a long and stormy voyage ; nevertheless 
they held on their way. The Mayfloiver got far 




/^^"7^/r/ 



Plymouth Bay in Midwinter 280 Yf:ars ago. 

out of her course. The Pilgrims had expected to 
land near the Hudson River, but the first land they 
saw was Cape Cod. They went southward, but in 
a few hours met with so many shoals and breakers 
that they turned back, and took refuge near the end 
of Cape Cod, in what is now known as Province- 
town harbor. Here they cast anchor, November 
II, 1620. 



74 



History of the United States 



There were one hundred and two passengers In 
all. One had died on the voyage, but a child was 
born before they landed, so the number was just 
the same as when they started. 

While the Mayflower was in the harbor and 


















J{s^^ ^%^ 



Autographs of the " Mayflower " Ph.grims. 



before any one went on shore, the Pilgrims drew 
up some rules by which to govern themselves. 

This paper, called the Mayflower Compact, they 
all signed, and then they chose John Carver to be 
their governor for the first year. Here, then, in 
the little cabin of the Mayflowei^, in the harbor of 
Cape Cod, was '' government of the people, by the 



The Pilgrims. 75 

people, for the people," begun in America. It is 
not Hkely that the Pilgrims at the time thought of 
anything more than making rules to keep good 
order among themselves. 

It was clear that the sandy shore of a narrow 
tongue of land was not the place on which to make 
a settlement, and several small parties were sent out 
to seek for some good landing-place. Meanwhile 
many went on shore, the women to wash the clothes, 
and the others to walk about on the solid ground. 

A little exploring party set out in a boat under 
the lead of Captain Myles Standish, a stout-hearted 
soldier who had joined the Pilgrims because he 
liked their ways, though he was not a church 
member. After sailing some distance along the 
coast, they came opposite a place which seemed to 
be just what they wanted. As it was Sunday, they 
rested all that day on an island. The next day, 
December 21,^ 1620, they went across the harbor 
and landed on a rock, now so well known as Plym- 
outh Rock. 

They found cleared land which had been used by 
the Indians as corn-fields, a brook running at the 
foot of the hill, and many springs of water. Very 
near the shore were hills from the tops of which 
they could see a great distance, and on which they 
could plant cannon for their protection. 

1 December 21 is the correct date ; through an error December 22 is 
usually celebrated as the anniversary. 



76 



History of the United States. 



Captain John Smith had once visited the place ; 
on his map of New England he called it Plymouth, 
and as old Plymouth was the port in England from 
which they had sailed, the Pilgrims kept the name. 

Myles S t a n d i s h 




and his party went 
back with the good 
news, and before long 
the Mayflower had 
cast her anchor in 
the harbor. The Pil- 
grims chose a spot 
under a high hill, 
close to the shore, 
for the site of their 
village, and set to 
work at once to build 
small houses. 

Many of the Pil- 
Q:rims were sick, 
,,vr chiefly from the bad 

food they were forced 
PLYMOUTH ROCK. to cat ou thc voyagc, 

From a photograph. The monument covers the spot anCl alSO irOm tUC WCt 
on which tradition says the Pilgrims landed. i , i r\ 

^ " and the exposure they 

had experienced after reaching Cape Cod. Not- 
withstanding the mild weather, about half of their 
number died during the winter, and their bodies 
were buried on the hill just above the rock on 



The Pilgrims. yj 

which they had landed. The graves were levelled, 
so that the Indians might not see how many had 
died. 

Part of the time there were only six or seven well 
persons, but these spared no pains to help those who 
were in need. William Brewster, their revered elder, 




;^^:|iR/^'^3 



Pilgrim Fort and Meeting-house. 




and Myles Standish, their captain, were two of the 
most active. They attended to the sick, prepared 
their food, washed their clothes, cut their firewood, 
and performed cheerfully and willingly the most 
humble services. 

^ At length spring came. Early in March the 
birds sang in the woods, the trees and shrubs began 
to bud, and the poor Pilgrims felt that the worst of 



78 



History of the United States. 




their troubles were over. The Mayflower set sail 
on her return voyage in April, 1621; but though 
they had suffered so much, not one of the Pilgrims 
wished to go back on her. 

The Pilo^rims had been 
afraid of attacks by the Ind- 
ians. The smoke of Indian 
fires had been seen, and once 
the tools of Myles Standish 
and another man who had 

PEREGR1M-. W Hues Inlaid bcCU WOrkiug in the WOOds 

were stolen in their absence ; 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 

but no attack had been made. 
One day in March an Indian walked boldly into 
the village, greatly alarming the colonists ; but they 
were glad to hear him say in English, " Welcome ! " 
He said his name was 
Samoset, and that he had 
learned a few words from 
some English fishermen 
whom he had met farther 
north. He also told them 
that a great pestilence had 

raged among the Indians in possession of the Connecticut His- 
1 r 1 torical Society at Hartford. 

about four years before, and 

that most of those who had lived near the place 

where the Pilgrims had landed were dead. 

A few days later Samoset came again and 
brought with him an Indian named Squanto, who, 




Brewster's Sea Chest and 
Standish's Iron Pot. 



The Pilgrims. 79 

he said, was now the only survivor of the tribe 
which once had lived near Plymouth. He had been 
carried away captive by some sailors, had been in 
London, and had learned to speak EngHsh. He 
came back to America, joining a tribe of Indians 
who lived thirty or forty miles west of Plymouth. 
Massasoit, the chief of this tribe, Squanto said, was 
near by with sixty men, and would soon visit the 
English. In about an hour Massasoit and his war- 
riors showed themselves on the top 
of a hill not far off. 

At first the English were afraid 
of the Indians, and the Indians 
were afraid of the English ; but by 
the help of Squanto the parties 
came together, and a treaty of 
peace and friendship was made platter and kettle 

1 , r^ r^ J j-i OF Myles Standish. 

between Governor Carver and the 

chief, Massasoit, which was kept for more than fifty 

years. 

The Indians had their faces colored black, red, 
and yellow. Some were ornamented with crosses 
or other signs. Some were clothed in skins, and 
some were without clothing. Massasoit's face was 
painted red, and was well greased. He had a great 
chain of white bone beads around his neck. Tied 
to this chain was a bag of tobacco which he smoked 
himself and offered to the English. 

Squanto was much pleased with the Pilgrims, 




8o 



History of the United States. 



and after a while came to Hve with them. He 
showed them where fish and clams were plentiful, 
and taught them to plant corn with two or three 
dead fish in every hill to make the ground rich. 
He also acted as their interpreter and guide. He 
liked to make himself important; to frighten the 
Indians he used to tell them that the English kept 
the plague buried in their storehouse, and that 
they could send it out against any one without 




The Sword of Myles Standish. 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 



stirrins: from their houses. On the whole, he was 
a good friend to the Pilgrims, and when, after living 
with them a little over a year, he died, there was 
real sorrow in the colony. Before his death he 
asked Governor Bradford to pray that he might go 
to the Eno-lishman's heaven. 

After the first year's crops had been gathered in, 
Governor Bradford and the Pilgrims had a public 
Thanksgiving, the first in America. Massasoit, 
who visited them at this time, joined them with his 



The Pilgrims. 



8i 



men, who brought five deer, and these with wild 
turkeys, which the Pilgrims had already shot, made 
a grand feast. For three days they feasted together; 
the Pilgrims rejoiced over their harvest, thanked 



God, and took courage. 



When the hunting season had passed, want again 

Thirty-five settlers 



stared the Pilgrims in the face 





Governor Carver's Chair, 

In Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. 



The Chair of John Eliot, the 
Apostle to the Indians. 



had come from England, but had brought no sup- 
plies with them. These newcomers nearly doubled 
the number of the little band, which was now far 
too large for the small stock of provisions laid by 
for the winter. 

It was impossible to get much from the friendly 
Indians. Each person, therefore, was given only 
half the usual amount of food. The Indians, finding 
out their weak condition, began to threaten them. 



82 



History of the United States. 



Canonicus, the chief of the Narragansetts, sent a 
messenger " with a bundle of arrows tied about 
with a snakeskin, which their interpreter told 
them was a threatening and a challenge." 

The governor was not 
frightened, but sent back 
the snakeskin full of bul- 
lets, telling the Indians 
that if they would rather 
have war than peace, they 
might begin when they 
would. Canonicus, the 
chief, was so afraid of the 
bullets that he sent them 
back to Plymouth, and 
made no attack. 

There was abundance 
of fish in the streams and 
in the sea, but for lack of 
nets and fishing tackle 
few were caught. The 
strongest men of the col- 
ony were weak from hun- 
ger, and were hardly able 
to plant the crops. All through the springtime 
and early summer the Pilgrims were almost starv- 
ing, and it was not until the harvest came that they 
were free from want. 

Myles Standish was a brave man, ready to fight, 




Pilgrim Monument at Plymouth. 

" National Monument to the Forefathers. 
Erected by a grateful people in remem- 
brance of their labors, sacrifices, and 
sufferings for the cause of civil and reli- 
gious liberty." 



The Pilgrims, 



83 



ready to go on dangerous journeys, and ready to 
sail the stormy seas. He was, indeed, a most use- 
ful man to the little community, for he not only 
helped to protect the Pilgrims at Plymouth, but he 
also went on trading expeditions to various parts 
of the coast for furs 
and even crossed the 
ocean to buy supplies 
for the colony, and to 
look after its inter- 
ests. 

He lived to be an 
old man and to have 
the satisfaction of see- 
ing the colony grow and flourish. For many years 
his home was at Duxbury, on the opposite side of 
the bay from Plymouth ; a hill which he owned is 
still called "The Captain's Hill," and on it is a tall 
monument in honor of the brave man. 




'"^J.^'Vfff^ 1 



The Myles Standish House at 
Duxbury. 

Built in 1666 by Alexander, Myles Standish's 
eldest son. 



OUTLINE. 

In order to gain liberty of worship, a band of " Sepa- 
ratists " left England and went to Holland. After about 
twelve years they concluded to go to America. They 
sailed in the Mayflower and reached Cape Cod December, 
1620. They settled at Plymouth They suffered greatly 
during the first winter, and more than half their number 
died. Their captain was Myles Standish, a brave man. 
They had Httle trouble from the Indians. 



84 



History of the United States. 



Who were the Puritans ? the Separatists ? 

Tell the story of the Separatists in England ; how they went to 
Holland. 

Why did they wish to go to America? 

Tell the story of the voyage to America in the Mayflower. 

Why were they called Pilgrims? 

Where did they land? 

Tell the story of their first winter in America. 

Describe Myles Standish, and tell what he did. 

Tell the story of Squanto ; of the first " Thanksgiving." 




4^ 
-'■p--^ 



The Land of ihk Pilgrims and Purmans. 



THE PURITANS. 

In 1630, just about ten years after the Pilgrims 
had come to Plymouth, five or six ships sailed into 
the harbor of Naumkeag, afterward known as 
Salem. They brought two hundred Puritan colo- 
nists. Everything was as different as possible from 
the landing *of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. 

It was in early summer. " Every hill and dale 
and every island was full of gay woods and high 
trees," and flowers were blossoming in abundance. 
The very land seemed to welcome them. It was 
the strongest company of emigrants that had yet 
come to the New World. In the next year eight 
hundred more arrived. 

These men and women crossed the sea to make 
for themselves homes ; they were willing to work, 
and expected to work hard. Their purpose in com- 
ing was to find a place where they could worship 
God in the way which they thought right ; where 
they could manage their affairs to suit themselves; 
where they could have their own laws ; where in new 
homes it would be possible for every one to better 
his condition. 

More Puritans kept coming over to Salem, and 
the surrounding country began to be settled. Some 

85 



86 



History of the United States. 



of the immigrants were not satisfied with Salem, 
and looked about for a more attractive place. This 
they found in Massachusetts Bay, on a peninsula 
called by the Indians Shawmut, and by the Eng- 
lishmen Tri-mountain, from the three hills upon it. 
There was plenty of fresh water, and pasturage for 
the cattle ; and, as it was connected with the main- 
land by a narrow neck, it could easily be defended 
in case of danger. 

The settlers always retained a warm affection for 
their old homes in England, and gave the names of 

many English towns to 
the new villages in Amer- 
ica. So this new settle- 
ment was soon named 
Boston, after old Boston 
in England, from which 
place or its neighborhood 
many of the colonists had 
come. 

The Puritan colony 
was known as that of 
Massachusetts Bay. Its 
first resident governor 
was John Winthrop, a 
highly educated, wealthy gentleman, who emigrated 
with his family from England to seek a home in the 
New World. 

The Puritans were a band of hard-working, God- 




JoHN Winthrop. 

After the original in the Massachusetts 
Senate Chamber. 



The Puritans. 



87 



fearing folk. All worked ; those who were rich be- 
cause they thought it was right, and those who were 
poor because they did not wish to be dependent, and 
because work was necessary for their support. They 
began at once to lay out farms, and to plant the seed 
which they had brought with them from England. 

Governor Winthrop set a noble example. Re- 
ligion was interwoven with his whole life. He 




Pine Tree Shilliing, 

planted and traded, sowed and built, governed and 
fought, loved wife and children and neighbors in 
the fear of the Lord. He was sometimes narrow- 
minded, and even bigoted, but this was due rather 
to the nature of the times than to his own character, 
which was better and broader than that of most pub- 
lic men of his day. 

He built and launched the first sea-going vessel 
in New England. She w^as named the Blessing of 
the Bay, and was the forerunner of the great fleet of 
vessels which has done so much to make New Eng- 
land rich and prosperous. 

It seems very strange to us that the Puritans who 



88 History of the United States. 

had left England to find a place where they might 
have freedom for themselves were not willins^ to 
give freedom to others. They wished to be let 
alone by those who did not think as they did, but 
they had no intention of letting others alone on the 
same conditions. They were determined to have 
the whole colony, as far as was possible, think in the 
same way in religious and church matters. 

Roger Williams, a young Englishman, arrived in 
Massachusetts during the winter of 1631. After a 
while he was chosen to be minister of the church at 
Salem. Roger Williams believed in religious liberty 
for every one. The Puritans believed in religious 
liberty for themselves. Roger Williams believed 
that laws should relate to a man's actions, and that 
he should be free to think as he liked. The Puri- 
tans believed that laws should be framed to punish 
a man for thinking, or saying, as well as for doing 
anything of which the colony disapproved. 

Williams refused to agree with the Massachusetts 
Puritans that religion was the chief business of the 
civil magistrate. He refused to uphold a law com- 
pelling every one to go to church. Soon he came 
to be regarded as a very dangerous person, and was 
told that it would be better for him to leave Salem. 
Still he kept on boldly denouncing the colony. 

When he said that the king of England had no 
right to give the land of the Indians to the colo- 
nists, the leading men of Boston and of the neigh- 



The Puritans. 89 

boring towns thought it was high time to arrest him 
and send him out of the country, as had been done 
with other troublesome persons. 

Hearing of this, Williams made his escape into 
the forest. The snow was on the ground, and it 
was bitterly cold, but he pushed on until he reached 
the home of Massasoit, the friend of the Pilgrims. 
This chief received him very kindly and took care 
of him for the rest of the winter. 

In the spring, Williams began a settlement at 
Seekonk, just within the territory of the Plymouth 
Colony. Later, with five other men, he went farther 
down the river; as they rowed along, some Indians 
called out, " What cheer, ne-top ? " " How are you, 
friend ? " Encouraged by this welcome the little 
company turned the boat toward the shore and 
landed on what is known as " Slate Rock." But 
they embarked again, and rowed on until they 
found an attractive place where there was a good 
spring of water. 

Williams determined to begin a settlement here. 
He bought land of the friendly Indians, and dis- 
tributed it among the settlers. He named the new 
settlement " Providence," on account, as he said, of 
" God's providence to him in his distresses." 

Here, for the first time in the world's history, was 
there perfect liberty of thought. Roman Catholics 
and Protestants, infidels and atheists, were all pro- 
tected, and no man suffered for his opinions. 



90 



History of the United States. 





Cradle and Chair of the Time of the 

Puritans. 



Settlers soon came and established themselves on 
the island of Rhode Island, and the whole colony 
was later known as Rhode Island 
and Providence Plantations. The 
Puritans looked upon it as a danger- 
ous place, where heretics and lawless 
persons took refuge ; but notwith- 
standing this the colony flourished. 

Roger Will- 
iams, though 
he had been 
banished from 
Massachusetts, 
did not cher- 
ish ill feeling 
toward those who had caused him to leave his home 
and seek another in the wilderness. Once he learned 

that the Pequods, an 
Indian tribe in what 
fl is now Connecticut, 

I ''^^. w^ere doing their best 
to persuade the Nar- 
ragansett Indians to 
join them in an at- 
tack upon the white 
settlers in Massachu- 
setts. At the risk of his life, he w^ent to the council 
of the Narragansetts, prevailed upon them to refuse 
to join the Pequods, and thus saved Massachusetts 
from the horrors of an Indian attack. 




An Old House in Salem, Mass. 



The Puritans. 9 i 

Roger Williams was a robust and vigorous man ; 
when he was seventy- three years old, he rowed him- 
self in an open boat over thirty miles on Narragan- 
sett Bay to hold a discussion with some Quakers at 
Newport. He was a man of very decided opinions 
and sometimes used strong language, but he never 
persecuted any one. He was perhaps the first man 
to proclaim entire civil and religious liberty. 



OUTLINE. 

In 1630 two hundred Puritan colonists landed at Salem, 
Massachusetts. They came to find homes and 3. place 
where they could worship God as they wished. They were 
hard-working, God-fearing people. The Puritans wished 
everybody to think and act alike in religious matters. 
Roger Williams believed that church and state should not 
be joined together. He was threatened with arrest. He 
fled into the wilderness, and founded Providence, where he 
gave perfect liberty to thought and action. 

Where did the Puritans land? 
How many came the first year? 
Why did they come ? 
Describe the Puritans. 
Describe John Winthrop. 
Tell the story of Roger Williams. 



LORD BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND. 

The Pilgrims and the Puritans were not the only 
persons who wished to find a land where they could 
worship God as they pleased. The Roman Catho- 
lics were not allowed to have churches in England, 
and were persecuted in various ways. 

Among the wealthy English Roman Catholics 
was Sir George Calvert, better known as Lord 
Baltimore, the latter name coming from a small 
town in southern Ireland. He was brought up a Pro- 
testant, but became a Roman Catholic. He wished 
to found a colony where his Catholic brethren would 
be secure from interference. 

In 162 1, Lord Baltimore, ignorant of the length 
and coldness of the winters, founded a colony in 
Newfoundland. Later he himself went out intend- 
ing to remain, but the severity of the climate con- 
vinced him that he must seek some warmer country 
if his plans were to succeed. He went to Virginia 
to see what could be done there ; but, as he was a 
Catholic, the Virmnians did not welcome him. He 
next applied to the king, Charles L, who willingly 
granted him lands on Chesapeake Bay north of the 
river Potomac. The king named the colony Mary- 
land after his queen, Henrietta Maria. 

92 



Lord Baltimore and Maryland. 



93 



Sir George Calvert died before his charter was 
ready, and the king gave it to Sir George's son, 
Cecilius or Cecil, who became the second Lord 
Baltimore. No one in the colonies had been given 
such extensive powers. He was almost a monarch, 
for he was required only to give the king two 
Indian arrows every year, and one-fifth of any gold 
and silver that might be 
found, and to make no 
laws contrary to the laws 
of England. 

The first band of colo- 
nists, about two hundred 
in number, under the lead- 
ership of Leonard Cal- 
vert, a younger brother of 
Lord Baltimore, sailed 
from England in two ves- 
sels named the Ark and 
the Dove. The company 
reached the mouth of the 
Potomac River in March, 
1634, and landed on a small island. There they 
cut down a tree, and made a cross which they set 
up ; then they kneeled before it, and gave thanks 
for having been brought safely to their new home. 

The colonists soon went over to the mainland. 
They treated the Indians justly, buying land of 
them and paying for it with axes, knives, and other 




Cecilius Calvert, Lord 
Baltimore. 

After a portrait preserved in the British 
Public Record Office. 



94 History of the United States. 

articles pleasing to the natives. The Indians gave 
up part of their village to the strangers and fur- 
nished them with corn to plant. The colonists built 
a little town which they called St. Mary's, because 
they had landed on the day named in honor of the 
Virgin Mary. 

The laws made in Maryland w^ere liberal, and for 
years that colony was one of the freest places in the 
world. Puritans and Episcopalians, Catholics and 
Quakers, came to Maryland to find peaceful homes. 
But even there infidels and Unitarians were alike 
unwelcome, and could have no privileges. 

OUTLINE. 

Lord Baltimore wished to found a colony for Roman 
Catholics. He tried Newfoundland ; the climate was too 
cold. King Charles granted him lands on Chesapeake 
Bay. He named the colony Maryland. He died, but his 
son Cecil carried out his plans. His laws were liberal, and, 
except Rhode Island, Maryland was the freest of the early 
colonies. 

Tell how Lord Baltimore came to found a colony. 

After whom was the colony named ? 

How much power did Lord Baltimore have ? 

Tell the story of the first band of colonists. 

Was there perfect freedom for religion in Maryland? 



KING PHILIP'S WAR. 



Massasoit, the friend of the Pilgrims and of 
Roger WiUiams, had two sons, — Wamsutta, who 
was called by the colonists 
Alexander, and Metacomet, 
who was called Philip or King 
Philip. When Massasoit died, 
Wamsutta became chief of the 
tribe. The governor of Plym- 
outh sent some soldiers to 
bring Wamsutta to Plymouth 
because it was reported that he 
was thinking of making an at- 
tack upon the English. Wam- 
sutta was unfortunately taken 
sick while at Plymouth. The 
Indians thought that he had 
been poisoned by the English, and as he died shortly 
after his return, they became convinced that foul 
work had been done. 

From various causes the neiohborincr Indians 
grew more and more hostile. They claimed with 
some justice that the English made them drunk 
and cheated them of land. They tried to arouse 
other tribes to join them in attacking the English. 

95 




King Philip. 

Belt and ornaments correctly- 
shown. 



96 



History of the United States. 



At one time they found some Indians who had 
warned their own English friends of the danger, 
and they seized the traitors, as they called them, and 

put them to death. 

It was not long before there 
was a war from which only a 
few tribes held aloof. The 
Indians fought after their own 
fashion. An Indian would 
creep from tree to tree until 
he came within gunshot of a 
white man, and then he would 
-^Hli^SsW^ / l| t shoot at him. When his vic- 
•nlf f Ir /^'fili f ^^^^^ ^^^^' ^^^^ Indian would rush 
./ i !M--^i Wilis ' up to him, scalp him, and sud- 
denly disappear. 

Often the Indians would 
attack the log-cabins of the 
settlers at night, set them on 
fire, and shoot or tomahawk 
the inmates as they ran from 
the burning houses. No one 
who lived on the outskirts of 
the settlements felt safe, night 
or day. 
The Indians frequently chose Sunday for their 
attacks. Once the settlers of Hadley, Massachu- 
setts, who were in their meeting-house, were startled 
by an alarm of Indians. The men rushed out of 




Indian Weapons. 



After Catlin. 



King Philip's War. 



97 



the house, when a tall man with long gray hair and 
beard made his appearance, and shouting to the 
colonists, led them on against the foe. 

The Indians were repulsed, and the old man van- 
ished as suddenly as he had come. Many thought 
he was sent from heaven to deliver them. He was 
General Goffe, one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, 
who had voted to condemn Kins^ Charles I. of Eno:- 
land to death, 
and upon whose 
head a price 
was fixed. He 
had taken ref- 
uge in Amer- 
ica with some 
friends, and was 
living: in con- 

^ The Junkins' Garrison House. 

CfalinpTit I — If 

Built against Indian attacks in 1675. Formerly on a hilltop 
saw the Indians '" Scotland Parish, near Newburyport, Mass. It was stand- 
ing until 1875. After a painting by Susan Minot Lane. 

coming, gave 

the alarm, and led the defence with his old fire and 

courage. 

There were about a hundred towns in New Ene- 
land at this time. Of these, forty were attacked by 
the Indians, and twelve were completely destroyed. 
It was not until the colonists adopted the Indian 
mode of fighting that they were successful. 

We can hardly believe the stories of the cruelties 
practised in this war, both by the Indians and by the 




98 History of the United States. 

English. The colonists at one time attacked a fort 
on Narragansett Bay. It was a log fort in the 
midst of an almost impassable cedar swamp, and 
the Indians had brought there a large number of 
old men, women, and children. The English sur- 
prised the fort, but the Indians made a brave de- 
fence. More than tw^o hundred of the whites were 
killed, and about five times as many of the natives. 
The colonists were so inflamed against the Indians 
that they set fire to the wigwams, and many old 
men, women, and children were burned to death. 
Canonchet, the chief, was taken. He was offered his 
life if he would make peace, but he refused, saying 
w^hen he was about to be put to death, " I like it 
well ; I wish to die before my heart is soft or I say 
anything unworthy of myself." 

When the Indians attacked a settler's house or a 
village, they would often carry off the women and 
children captives, and many stories of hairbreadth 
escapes and of dreadful cruelties were long told to 
the New England boys and girls. 

Philip found that, with all his efforts, the Indians 
were steadily losing ground, and that his cause was 
hopeless. He wandered from place to place, and 
hid in swamps and forests. His wife and his young 
son were captured and sold as slaves to the Bermuda 
Islands ; for death or slavery was the punishment 
for Indians who had fought or had even taken 
sides against the English. 



King Philip's War. 



99 



Philip wandered back to the neighborhood of his 
old home near Mt. Hope on Narragansett Bay. He 
was traced to a swamp, and was shot by an Indian 
whose brother he had killed. 

The hands and head of the great Indian warrior 
were cut off; his head was sent to Plymouth, and 
placed on a high pole where it remained exposed to 
view for about twenty years. 
It seems very strange to us 
that the Pilgrims and Puri- 
tans should have been so 
harsh, but even in England 
at that time the heads of 
traitors and rebels were ex- 
posed on Temple Bar, a 
gate in London. 

The power of the Ind- 
ians was now broken, for 
their best warriors had 
been either killed or taken 
prisoners, and King Philip's 
War was the last great struggle with the natives in 
New England. 

Many of the colonists desired to civilize the red 
men, and to convert them to the Christian religion. 
One of the objects of the founding of Harvard Col- 
lege was to educate Indian youth for the ministry. 

John Eliot, a minister at Roxbury, near Boston, 
was the most unwearied worker in this good cause. 




John Eliot. 

From a portrait in the family of the late 
William Whiting. 



4^C 



UPBIBLUM GOD 

NUKKONE TESTAMENT 
WUSKU TESTAMENT. 



loo History of the United States. 

He learned the language of some of the tribes in 
order to teach them in their own tongue. He was 
constant in visiting the Indian villages and preach- 
ing to the natives. He once said, " I have not been 
dry, night or day, from the third day of the week to 
the sixth ; but so travel, at nioht 
I pull off my boots, wring my stock- 
I ings, and so continue." 
I Eliot was very successful in his 
I work, and is said to have persuaded 
I more than three thousand Indians 
I to become Christians. But this was 
not all. He translated the Bible into 
the Indian language and had it 
printed. Indian boys learned to 
read in it, and were taught its 
lessons. 
These Indians are gone, their language has been 
forgotten, and probably not more than one or two 
persons are now able to read Eliot's Indian Bible. 
The book itself is rarely met with, but copies may 
be seen in some of the great public libraries. 



JOHN ELIOT 



i. . 

Tmmmwmmmwtmmimmvi 



Title Page ok 
Eliot's Bible. 



Reduced fac-siinile. 



OUTLINE. 



The Indians in New England, from various causes, be- 
came hostile to the English. A terrible war followed ; 
there were many atrocities. Philip, a son of Massasoit, 
was the leader. He united the tribes against the English. 



' King Philip's War. loi 

He was at last shot, and the war came to an end. John 
EHot labored to convert the Indian^ to Christianity, and 
translated the Bible into their language. 

Tell who Alexander and Philip were. 
Describe the Indian methods of warfare. 
Tell the story of the attack on Hadley. 
Tell the story of King Philip. 
What did John l^liot do for the Indians? 



PETER STUYVESANT AND NEW NETHER- 
LAND. 

The first vessels sent to the river that Henry 
Hudson had discovered brought back such good 
reports of the country that the Dutch sent out more 
ships, for they were very quick to seize any chance 
for trade. Three vessels were sent in 1613. One 
of them, having taken fire at Manhattan Island, was 
burnt. Captain Adrien Block, her commander, at 
once set his men to work to put up some log huts 
in which to spend the winter. These were the 
first houses built by Europeans where New York 
City now stands. 

While at Manhattan Island, Captain Block built 
a small vessel, sailed through East River into 
Long Island Sound, and discovered the island now 
called by his name. Another captain sailed up the 
Hudson River and established Fort Orange, a trad- 
ing post near the place where Albany is now. 

Ten years later, the Dutch West India Company 
sent out a number of families to settle at Manhat- 
tan, at Fort Orange, on Long Island, and even as 
far as the Delaware River. The next year, 1624, 
Peter Minuit, the director-general of the colony, 
bought Manhattan Island from the Indians for 



Peter Stuyvesant and New Netherland. 103 



about twenty-four dollars, and built Fort Amster- 
dam ; this was the beginning of New Amsterdam, 
afterward New York City. 

Soon after this, some of the directors of the com- 
pany bought large tracts of land along the Hudson 
River, and sent out colonists as tenants. These 
large landowners, who called themselves patroons, 
became very wealthy and powerful. They lived on 
their great es- 
tates very much 
as the old lords 
used to do in 
feudal times in 
the Middle 
Ages. In 1633, 
the first school- 
master came to 
the colony, and the school of which he w^as the 
first teacher is still flourishinor, the oldest school 
in the United States.' 

The colony was managed, however, not for the 
good of the settlers, but for the benefit of the 
Dutch Company. Among other things, the farm- 
ers were not allowed to buy any furs from the 
Indians, and the company tried to keep even the 
patroons out of this profitable trade, but with small 
success. 

For a few years the Dutch treated the Indians 

^The Collegiate School of the Dutch Church, New York City. 




Dutch Pleasure Wagon of the Olden Time. 



I04 History of the United States. 

well. It is true that some of the settlers sold them 
guns and rum, and that the fur-traders cheated 
them ; but, on the whole, the Indians were not 
dissatisfied. Unfortunately, in 1637, the company 
sent out William Kieft, as director. He had been 
a merchant, and knew little or nothing about ruling 




Early Dutch Costumes. 



men. He could not be depended upon, for he did 
not keep his word. He was obstinate, cruel, and 
greedy of gain ; he treated the Indians very badly, 
and in this way provoked them to make savage 
attacks upon the settlers. 

For two years there was a war in which the colo- 
nists suffered greatly. The Indians would fire on 
the boats passing by on the river ; they would attack 



Peter Stuyvesant and New Netherland. 105 



men and women travelling on the roads ; they would 
shoot the farmers as they worked in the fields. In- 
deed, the farmers hardly dared to do the necessary 
work for fear of being shot. Trade and commerce 
came almost to a standstill, and the colony began to 
suffer from hunger. Kieft now saw his mistake, and 
was only too glad to make peace with the Indians. 

After ten years of misrule, Kieft was remioved. 
The ship in which he was 
returning to Holland was 
wrecked in the English 
Channel he was drowned, 
and the fortune he was tak- 
ing back went down with 
him. 

The Dutch Company 
now chose Peter Stuyve- 
sant to succeed Kieft as 
director- general of New 
Netherland. Stuyvesant 
had been governor of Cura- 
90a, in the West Indies, 
and had lost one of his 
legs from a wound in battle. He now stumped 
around on a wooden leg, bound with silver bands. 
He was hot-headed and easily made angry ; he 
was headstrong and used very hard words, but 
had not a bad heart. He was brave, full of cour- 
age, honest, and devoted to the interests of the com- 




Peter Stuyvesant. 

After the portrait from life in the pos- 
session of the New York Historical 
Society. 



io6 History of the United States. 

pany which employed him. He had a high idea of 
the position of a governor, and beHeved that he 
ought to have all the power in his own hands. 
Once, when some one threatened to appeal to the 
company, he said, " If he does, I will make him a 
foot shorter, and send the pieces to Holland." But 
he really had the good of the colony at heart, and, 
when the colonists came to know him, there was 
not much trouble. 

The Swedes wished to have a share in America, 
and had sent out a colony (1638) under Peter 
Minuit, the same man who had bought Manhat- 
tan Island for the Dutch. Minuit sailed up the 
Delaware River, bought land from the Indians, 
and, near the place where Wilmington, Delaw^are, 
now stands, he built a fort, naming it Christina, after 
the queen of Sweden. 

The Dutch objected strongly to this, but Stuyve- 
sant was too weak to prevent it. A few years 
later, however, Stuyvesant built a fort on the Dela- 
ware, very near the Swedish settlement. This fort 
the Swedes attacked and took. Stuyvesant, the 
people of New Amsterdam, and the Dutch Com- 
pany, were very angry when this news reached 
them. As soon as possible Stuyvesant made an 
attack upon the Swedes, and was successful in tak- 
ing all their forts. This brought Swedish rule to 
an end in America. 

The Swedes were not the only enemies of the 



Peter Stuyvesant and New Netherland. 107 

Dutch. The Eno^lish settlers were increasino- north 
and south of New Netherland, and paid little atten- 
tion to the Dutch boundaries. Stuyvesant made 
several journeys to New England to defend his 
rights, and secured as o^ood terms as he could. But 
the English settlers kept coming upon Dutch terri- 
tory, and claimed nearly the whole of what is to-day 
the state of New York. Many of them had come 
to Long Island, and they disliked the Dutch rule. 
Stuyvesant saw the danger to the colony, but could 
do nothing, as the English outnumbered his men 
so greatly. 

One day in August, 1664, some English ships 
came sailing into the bay. Troops were landed, 
who took possession of Staten Island. Director 
Stuyvesant put all able-bodied men to work to 
repair the battery and to throw up fortifications ; 
but the stock of powder was small, and the people 
were not hearty in their support, for they preferred 
to go under English rule rather than have the town 
fired on and their property destroyed. In fact, not 
a few were quite ready to change rulers. 

Nicolls, the English commander, sent a letter 
saying that, if the Dutch gave up, no one should 
be hurt and that everything could go on as before, 
except that the English flag must fly over the town 
and the English rule be acknowledged. The coun- 
cil insisted that this letter should be read before the 
people, but Stuyvesant refused, for he was sure that 



io8 History of the United States. 

the people would wish to accept these terms. A 
sharp dispute followed, and Stuyvesant, in a rage, 
tore up the letter and threw the pieces on the floor. 
The council broke up, but the members told the 
people what terms the English had offered. Finally 
Stuyvesant was forced to yield. The English landed. 




The Stadthuys, New York, 1679. 

After Brevoort's drawing. (" Stadthuys " is Dutch for " statehouse.") 

hoisted their flag, and New Netherland became New 
York. 

The Dutch Company sent for Stuyvesant to 
come to Holland and explain why he had given up 
their colony. He was able to do this satisfactorily, 
for every one who had been on the spot knew that 
he had held out until resistance was useless. When 



Peter Stuyvesant and New Netherland. 109 

peace was made between England and Holland, 
the English kept New York. 

Nine years later (1673) there was another war 
between England and Holland. One day some 
Dutch ships sailed into the harbor, just as the 
English ships had done, and found New York just 
as unprepared as before. The fort and town sur- 
rendered, and New York became Dutch again. 
But the very next year peace was made, and New 
York was Qiiven back to the Ens^lish. 

Peter Stuyvesant, after his return from Holland, 
lived in peace and plenty at his " bowery," as the 
Dutch called a farm; he died in 1682, when he 
was about eighty years old. He was fond of fruit 
and fiowers ; one of the pear trees which he planted 
stood over two hundred years, until 1867, when it 
was blown down in a storm. 



OUTLINE. 

The Dutch settled on Manhattan Island, 161 3. Peter 
Minuit bought the island from the Indians for twenty-four 
dollars. Patroons settled along the Hudson River, had 
large estates, and became wealthy. Governor Kieft was a 
very unwise ruler ; he brought on an Indian war. Peter 
Stuyvesant, a hot-headed but brave man, succeeded Kieft. 
He was the last Dutch governor of New Netherland. The 
Swedes settled on the Delaware River. The Dutch claimed 
the land, and after a time conquered the Swedes. The 
English, in 1664, took New Amsterdam without a struggle. 



iio History of the United States. 

The Dutch retook the town in 1673. When peace was 
made, 1674, New Netherland was given to the EngUsh. 

Give an account of Captain Block and his discoveries. 

Tell the story of the founding of New Amsterdam. 

Who were the patroons ? 

Tell about Governor Kieft ; Peter Stuyvesant. 

Tell about the Swedes. 

Tell how New Netherland became New York. 



FATHER MARQUETTE AND LA SALLE. 



For the most part, the English came to find 
homes in the New World, and so did not go far 
away from the Atlantic coast, though they claimed 
all the country to the South 
Sea, as the Pacific Ocean was 
then called. The French, on the 
other hand, were great explorers. 

Before the English settled 
Plymouth or Salem, and before 
Roger Williams, founded Prov- 
idence, or Lord Baltimore sent 
out the Ark and the Dove, 
French explorers, traders, and 
Jesuit priests had followed the 
course of the St. Lawrence 
River ; while Champlain had 
chosen the site of Quebec, and 
had discovered the beautiful 
lake which bears his name. 

About the time the English 
colonists were fiQ:htino^ Kino: 
Philip, Father Marquette, a 
French Jesuit priest, in com- 
pany with Joliet, a fur trader, 

III 




James Makqueitk. 

Who with Louis Joliet dis- 
covered the Mississippi River 
at Prairie du Chien, June 17, 
1673." From the statue by 
G. Trentenove, in the Rotunda 
of the Capitol, Washington. 



I 2 History of the United States. 



was pushing his way along the Great Lakes, and 
searching for a great river, of which the Indians 
had told him. 




Map to illustrate French Exi-lorations. 

Marquette and Joliet took with them smoked 
meat and Indian corn to eat; and beads, watches, 



Father Marquette and La Salle. 1 1 3 

and many other articles to exchange with the 
natives for food. They had five men to paddle 
their canoes, but they carried no warlike weapons, 
for their errand was a peaceful one ; Father Mar- 
quette was a true missionary. 

They launched their canoes on the Wisconsin 
River, and after a week floated into the river of 
which they had heard, and which they so greatly 
desired to see. 

Now and then, as they floated down the stream, 
they saw many buffaloes on the banks, but it was 
long before they saw any traces of Indians. After a 
journey of hundreds of miles, they saw some foot- 
prints in the mud, and, landing, followed the tracks 
until they reached an Indian village, where the 
people proved to be friendly. 

The Frenchmen began their journey again, but 
when they reached the mouth of the Arkansas 
River, hearing from friendly Indians that there 
were hostile tribes farther on, they turned back ; 
yet they had gone far enough to be sure that the 
great stream must empty into the Gulf of Mexico. 
Father Marquette, worn out by his long journeys 
and the exposure, died on the shores of Lake 
Michigan, where the town of Marquette now stands. 

Another Frenchman, Robert Cavalier de La 

Salle, was so moved by the accounts of Joliet and 

others, and by the desire to increase the empire of 

France, that he resolved to go on with the explo- 

I 



IT4 History of the United States. 



rations which Father Marquette and JoHet had 
begun. He started in 1679, but was delayed by so 
many mishaps that he did not reach the Mississippi 
River for about two years. He took with him a 

party of Indians and 
Frenchmen, and marked 
his course by building little 
forts. 

These men suffered from 
hunger ; they slept on the 
open ground ; they would 
watch by night and march 
by day, loaded with bag- 
gage, such as blankets, 
clothing, kettles, hatchets, 
guns, powder, lead, and 
skins. Sometimes they 
thrust their way through 
thickets, sometimes climbed rocks covered with ice 
and snow, sometimes waded w^hole days through 
marshes where the water was waist deep, but they 
kept on, and at last reached the Mississippi. 

They continued their journey down the great 
stream, until, early in April, 1682, they reached its 
mouth. They were the first Europeans who had 
made a continuous voyage from the upper part of 
the mighty stream to its m.outh. 

Everywhere La Salle had claimed possession of 
the land in the name of the French king. 




RuUKkl C-WALIKR SlKUK DE LA 

Salle. 

After Margry's portrait. 



Father Marquette and La Salle, i i 5 

Louis XIV., in honor of whom he called the 
country Louisiana. Not far frorh the mouth of 
the river he set up a column and a cross. On 
the cokmin he painted the nam,e of France and 
this inscription, " Louis the Great, King of France 
and Navarre, reigns, April 9th, 1682." 

La Salle returned to France ; two years later he 
took part in an expedition to found a colony at the 
mouth of the Mississippi. The captain of the ves- 
sel went too far to the west, and then refused to sail 
back in search of the river. He landed La Salle 
and his companions on the coast of what is now 
Texas, and left them to their fate. 

La Salle encouraged his companions, and did all 
that was possible to establish them securely. He 
searched for the Mississippi River, but could not 
find it. About two years had gone by, and nothing 
had been heard from France. He now determined 
to go overland to Canada and get help. 

With one-half of the company, twenty in number, 
he set out on his difficult and perilous journey 
of two thousand miles. The men were poorly pro- 
vided with clothing. They had to depend for food 
upon what game they could find. There were no 
roads, and their progress was very slow. Some of his 
men rebelled. At length, at some unknown spot in 
the vast wilderness of eastern Texas, this brave 
and patriotic Frenchman was treacherously killed 
by one of his followers. 



ii6 History of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

Father Marquette and Joliet explored the Mississippi 
River as far as the Arkansas River. La Salle explored the 
Great West. He and his party suffered great privations. 
They sailed down the river to its mouth, claimed the great 
territory for the French king, and called it Louisiana. 
La Salle made a second expedition to the Mississippi. 
He and his party suffered great hardships. He was killed 
by one of his followers. 

Tell the story of Marquette and Joliet. 

Tell the story of La Salle's expedition. 

What did he name the territory? 

Tell the story of his second expedition ; of his death. 



NATHANIEL BACON. 

While the New England colonies were fighting 
with King Philip, the Virginians were compelled 
to defend themselves against the southern Indians 
The orovernor of Viroinia at this time was Sir 
William Berkeley. He was a harsh, severe ruler, 
and had little sympathy with the people. He said 
of Virginia, " I am thankful that there are no free 
schools or printing-offices, and 1 hope that we shall 
not have them these hundred years." 

A traveller in Virginia, who went to see him in 
1672, was asked by a Virginian if the governor had 
called him " dog " or " rogue," and when the trav- 
eller said " No," the Virginian returned, "Then you 
found him in his best humor, for those are his usual 
terms." 

Virginia was suffering from severe laws and 
heavy taxes imposed by the royal government. 
Berkeley would do nothing to help the people, and 
they were ready to rebel. When the Indians 
attacked the frontier, the people appealed to the 
governor for aid, but he refused. 

It is said that he was making much money 
from the fur trade with the Indians, and knew that if 
he sent forces against them he should lose this prof- 

117 



ii8 History of the United States. 

i table business. Perhaps he was afraid that if the 
people were armed they would turn against him, as 
soon as the Indian troubles were settled. 

When they found that the governor would not 
aid them, the people themselves raised a force of 




Bacon and Berkeley. 



volunteers. They chose Nathaniel Bacon, a liberal 
young Englishman, to be their leader, and marched 
against the savages. Governor Berkeley proclaimed 
Bacon and all who were with him rebels and trai- 
tors ; but Bacon was so popular that the governor's 
threats did not amount to much. 

When Bacon returned from the frontier he found 
himself the idol of the colony ; he had also been 



Nathaniel Bacon. i i 9 

elected a member of the legislature, which the 
governor had been forced to call. The governor 
arrested him, but was compelled to set him free. 
In this legislature, through Bacon's influence, good 
laws were passed, and for years afterward they were 
known as " Bacon's Laws." 

Again the governor planned to arrest Bacon, but 
he escaped, and gathering a force of several hundred 
men, marched on Jamestown ; again the governor 
yielded, and Bacon was appointed "general against 
the Indians." 

Two months later he was once more proclaimed 
a rebel. Berkeley, finding that his course was not 
approved by many of the Virginians, took refuge 
in what he supposed was the most loyal part 
of the colony, but, to his disappointment, the people 
would hear nothing against Bacon. He then fled 
to the eastern shore of Virginia, across Chesapeake 
Bay. Here the governor was able to collect a force 
of a few hundred men and some vessels, and, com- 
ing back, took possession of Jamestown. 

Bacon was returnincr from a successful Indian 
campaign, and had discharged most of his men ; 
but when he heard that Berkeley held Jamestown, 
he decided to attack him. Men and women along 
the road brought food and drink to refresh his little 
army, and the women cried out, " (icneral, if you 
need help, send for us ! " 

Bacon very soon did find a way to make women 



I 20 



History of the United States. 



y^ 



helpful. The peninsula on which Jamestown was 
built was connected with the mainland by a very 
narrow isthmus. Bacon occupied this neck of land, 
and in order to fortify it in safety, seized the wives 
and daughters of some of Berkeley's men, and sent 
one of them into Jamestown " to inform her own 
and other husbands that he meant to place their 

^^ ^ wives in the fore 

>-\^ ^ ^ ' "^^^fe^ ^ ^ front of his men 

who were to throw 
up the earth- 
works." 

Notwithstand- 
ing this warning, 
Berkeley ordered 
an attack. His 
men were re- 
pulsed, and then, 
sure enough, the women were " exhibited to the view 
of their husbands and friends in the town, upon the 
top of the small work, where Bacon caused them to 
tarry till he had finished his defence." Of course 
they proved to be an ample protection. 

The governor now gave up the town and retreated 
with his men to the vessels. When it was learned 
that Berkeley had stolen away in the night, Bacon 
marched into the town and ordered the place to 
be burnt, so that " the rogues should harbor there 
no more." His orders were obeyed. Nothing 




— - V '5?-:7 



Bacon Quarter Branch. 

Where Bacon had a plantation near the falls of the James. 



Nathaniel Bacon 121 

remains of this earliest English town in America 
except the ruined tower of the old brick church. 

Bacon was now in control of Virginia, but he was 
worn out by excitement, fatigue, and exposure in 
the swamps ; before long he fell sick and died. 
Some of his friends, fearful that his body might be 
taken up and hung in chains, either buried it in some 
place still unknown, or sunk it in the river. With 
Bacon's death the rebellion ended. 

Berkeley regained power, and hanged twenty- 
three of Bacon's followers as rebels. King Charles, 
when he heard of this, said, " That old fool has 
hanged more men in that naked country than I 
have done for the murder of my father.*' 

Bacon had not lived in vain. Berkeley was re- 
moved by the king, and sailed for England amid 
the rejoicings of the people, who celebrated his 
departure with firing of cannon and blazing of bon- 
fires. The king for whom he had done so much 
refused to see him, and he died in diso'race in less 
than a year after Bacon's death. No royal governor 
dared again to oppress the Virginians as Berkeley 
had done. 

OUTLINE. 

Sir William Berkeley, the governor of Virginia, was a 
harsh man and a severe ruler. The people chose Nathaniel 
Bacon to lead them against the Indians. Bacon was very 
popular. Through his influence good laws were passed. 



122 History of the United States. 

Bacon was the leader of a rebellion against the governor. 
He was successful, but died of disease. Berkeley was at 
last removed by the king. 

Describe Sir William Berkeley. 

Tell about Nathaniel Bacon, and how the governor treated him. 

Tell how Bacon attacked Jamestown ; his death. 

What was done to Berkeley? 



WILLIAM PENN. 



About the time that La Salle set out for Canada 
(1682) on his journey to explore the Mississippi 
River, and secure a great empire for France, a very 
different plan was being arranged in England. It 
was for the settlement of a new English colony, 
where there should be no war, where the people 
should make their own laws, where there should be 
political and religious 
liberty, and where the 
Indians should be treated 
justly. llie man who 
devised this plan and 
wished to carry it out was 
William Penn. He was 
at this time about thirty- 
seven years old. His 
father had been a very 
successful captain in the 
English navy, and had 

been rewarded by being At the age of 22. After the portrait attrlb- 
1 1*1 T T uted to Sir Peter Lelv. 

made an admiral. He 

had been on terms of friendship with King 

Charles II. and with his brother James, the Duke of 

York. 







J 




1 




J 

3^ 






\. 


1 


i 




J 


*^ 



William Pk.\n. 



123 



124 History of the United States. 







Fac-simile of Part 
OF THE Royal 
Deed given to 
Penn. 



Admiral Penn was a rich man, 
and had educated his son as other 
wealthy young Englishmen were 
educated ; that is to say, to be skil- 
ful in athletic games, to fence well, 
and to be a fine and courtly gentle- 
man. To finish his education, Will- 
iam had been sent to Oxford. 

We can imagine the fathers dis- 
pleasure when he heard that his 
son was thinkino^ of becominof a 
Quaker. The admiral was of such 
hasty temper that, when he found 
his son would not change his views, 
he flogged the young man and 
turned him out of doors. 

After a while, at the entreaty of 
Penn's mother, the young man was 
allowed to come back. For more 



William Penn. 



125 




IWHll II 









than two years, Admiral Penn tried in 
every possible way to make his son 
leave the Quakers. He floQ^Qred h 



^&' 



mi 



again, he sent him away on a foreign 
tour, he reasoned with him, he threat- 
ened him, but in vain ; a Quaker young 
Penn would be. It is pleasant to know 
that Admiral Penn, at last, became 
reconciled to his son. 

Admiral Penn left to his son a large 
estate and a claim on the EnoHsh 
crown for money lent to the king, 
amounting to about sixteen thousand 
pounds sterling. Penn begged the 
king to give him lands in America in 
payment of this debt. Charles II., 
who was always short of money, gladly consented to 
pay his debt in this way. He granted to Penn a 
large tract west of the Delaware River and north 



126 History of the United States. 

A brief Account of the 

^^otjime of ^ettnfplbattia. 

Lately Granted by the 

KING, 



Under the GREAT 



Seal of England, 



TO 



WILLIAM PENN 

AND HIS 

Heirs and Affigns. 

Since (by the good Providence ol Cod, and the Favour of the King) a 
Country in Amtric4 is fallen to my Lot, 1 thought it not lefs my 
Duty, then my Honeft InterefV, to give fomc publick notice of J: to 
the World, that thofe of our own or other Nations, that arc inclin'd 
toTranfport Themfelves or Families beyond the Seas, may find ano- 
ther Country added to their Choice ; that if they fhall hapicn to like 
the Place, Conditions, and Government, (fo far as the prcfent Infancy of things 
will allow US any profpeO^ ihey may, if they plcafe, fix with me in the Pro- 
vince, hereafter defcrilxd. 

I. Ti&e KING'S ^'t^ to thU CoumrybefonhtgranteA tt. 
It is the Jm Ctnttum, or Law of Nations, that what ever Wafte, or uncuf- 
tcd Country, is the Difcovcry of any Princ^ it is the right of that Prince, that 
was at the Charge of the Difcovery : Now this frovinu is a Member of that 
part of AmricAy which the King of'^£/»^/4w^i Anccftors have been at the Charge 
of Difcovering, and vhich they aod he have taken great care to prcferve ani 

""f"""- U. William 



William Penii, 



I 27 



of Maryland, and insisted on calling it Pennsylvania, 
after Admiral Penn. 

William Penn at once began to prepare a form 
of government for his new province. He wished 
the people of Pennsylvania to be a " free, sober, 
and industrious people," and " to be governed by 
laws of their own makino-." 




ri S icrjofve^^ ^ fcaitoV 










Seal and Signature to the Frame of Government. 

So anxious was he to do what w^as best for all, 
that he called his plan, " An holy experiment." He 
wished his province to be a place of refuge for the 
persecuted, and especially for the Quakers, who had 
suffered very much. At one time, several thousand 
Quakers in England, were in prison simply because 
they insisted on worshipping God as they thought 
right. 

Before his plans were completed Penn sent a letter 



128 History of the United States. 

to the Indians to let them know his kindly feeling 
toward them. Though the king had given him all 
the country, yet Penn would allow no land to be 
settled until it had been bought from the natives. 
He made just laws, in which the rights of the 
Indians were carefully looked after. 

In 1682, Penn himself came over with a number 
of emigrants, in the ship Welcome. On the voy- 
age, smallpox broke out among the passengers 
and the wealthy proprietor of Pennsylvania himself 
helped to nurse the sick. 

He was received with great rejoicing by the colo- 
nists. He had already directed that a city should 
be begun, which he called Philadelphia, the " City 
of Brotherly Love." Some of the settlers came to 
Philadelphia before their homes were ready for 
them ; and while the houses were building, they 
lived in caves along the banks of the Delaware 
River. 

One of Penn's first acts was to meet the Indians 
and assure them of his love and regard for them, and 
his desire that they and the people of Pennsylvania 
should always live together as neighbors and friends. 

On his visits to the tribes they would give him 
a warm welcome. Once he found the Indians en- 
gaged in running, jumping, and other sports. He 
had been very fond of such games in his youth, and 
though he was now nearly forty years old, he was 
lithe and active ; so he ran and jumped with the 



William Penn. 



I 29 



rest, and actually beat them all, to the great delight 
of the Indians. 

He often met the Indians, and made treaties with 
them. Some of these were to show good-will, and 
some for the purchase of land. One of these meet- 




The Treaty Elm, Philadelphia. 



rom an old print. 



ings was held under a great elm tree liear Phila- 
delphia. William Penn wore a sky-blue sash tied 
around his waist, but he had no sword or gun, or any- 
thing more war-like in his hand than a roll of paper. 
The Indians, seeing that he was unarmed, threw 
down their bows and arrows, and seated themselves 

K 



I 30 History of the United States. 

on the ground. Penn then told them that he and his 
friends wished to Hve in peace and friendship with 
the Indians, that it was not their custom to fight, 
and so they had come unarmed. 

The principal chief of the Indians replied that the 
Indians and the Ens^lish must live in love as lono- as 
the sun and moon should endure. It is said that 
the Indians gave Penn a belt of wampum as a mark 
of friendship. There is a wampum belt in Phila- 




\\\A.MPUM Belt. 

delphia, having on it the figures of two men 
shaking hands, which was given to Penn on this or a 
similar occasion. Of this treaty, Voltaire, the great 
Frenchman, said " It was never sworn to and 
never broken." 

There was no trouble between the Indians and 
the Pennsylvanians, and not a drop of Quaker blood 
was knowingly shed by an Indian. For many years 
there was no war of any kind in Pennsylvania. 

Penn went back to England after two or three 
years; in 1699, he returned to Pennsylvania expect- 
ing to end his days in America, but he was forced to 
go again to England to protect his rights. He was 
arrested on a false charge of debt, brought by his 



William Penn. 



I '^i 



agent who had cheated him shamefully. Penn, rather 
than pay what he knew was unjust, went to prison. 
His friends, after a time, secured his release, but his 
health was broken down, and he died in 1718, leav- 
ing a name greatly renowned and respected. 




The First Town Hall and Court House, Philadelphla.. 

Pennsylvania was so free, and its soil so fertile, 
that large numbers of colonists were attracted to it. 
It soon became one of the richest and most popu- 
lous of the colonies. 



OUTLINE. 

William Penn, a wealthy young Englishman, joined the 
Quakers. His father was greatly displeased. William 



132 History of the United States. 

Penn inherited large property. To pay him a debt King 
Charles gave him Pennsylvania. Penn founded a colony 
where justice was to be the law. The colony was to be a 
refuge for all the oppressed, but especially for the Quakers. 
Penn bought land of the Indians, treated them justly, and 
for years there was no trouble with the Indians. Penn 
returned to England. Pennsylvania became one of the 
richest of the colonies. 

Tell the story of William Penn as a young man. 

How did he get Pennsylvania ? 

What did he call his plan of government? 

What great city did he found ? 

How did he treat the Indians? 

Tell the story of the treaty. 



OGLETHORPE AND GEORGIA. 



The Cabots had claimed the Atlantic coast of 
North America for England in 1497, but it was not 
until 1607, more than a hundred years later, that 
Jamestown, the first successful English colony, was 
settled. It was another 
hundred years and more, 
before Georgia, the thir- 
teenth and last English 
colony, was established in 

1733- 

The story of this colony 
is different from that of 
any of the others. The 
settlement was due entirely 
to one man, General James 
Edward Oglethorpe. He 
was an Englishman who 
had seen much of life. He had fouo^ht under the 
great Duke of Marlborough against Louis XIV. of 
France, and had fought against the Turks ; in his 
younger days, he had seen many wonderful adven- 
tures, but unlike Captain John Smith, he never 
wished to talk about them. 

A hundred and fifty years ago it was a very com- 

^33 




James Edward Oglethorpe. 

After the painting by Ravenet. 



1 34 History of the United States. 

men thing, both in England and elsewhere, to send 
to prison one who could not pay his debts. A man 
might be imprisoned for owing even a shilling. 
And sometimes a debtor would spend years in prison 
because he could not pay a small sum. There was 
much suffering on account of this hard law. 

It happened that one of Oglethorpe's friends was 
sent to prison for debt, and suffered so much while 
there from the poor food, bad air, and hard treat- 
ment, that he died. This called Oglethorpe's 
attention to the sfreat number of men in debtor's 
prisons. He found also that those in prison were not 
the only sufferers, for their families were deprived 
of support. 

He bes^an to exert himself on behalf of the suffer- 
ers, and after much labor succeeded in getting Par- 
liament to modify the laws. He was also able to 
secure liberty for several hundred debtors. But 
this was not all. He knew that many of these 
unfortunate persons, even if set free, could get no 
work in England ; and the idea came into his mind 
that in the New World they could start afresh with 
some hope of success. 

After careful thought, he applied to King George 
for some land in America to found a colony. The 
kins granted him a tract of land south of the 
Savannah River. 

Oglethorpe named the colony Georgia, in honor 
of the king. It was intended not only for those 



Oglethorpe and Georgia. 13^ 

who were unable to pay their debts, but also for 
those who were oppressed, and especially for perse- 
cuted Protestants. Oglethorpe would not take the 
rule himself, but all power was given to a board of 
trustees. 

Many persons in England were interested in the 
plan, and gave money to carry it into effect. Ogle- 









it 




A View of Savannah, Georgia. 

From a print published in London in 1741, and humbly inscribed to 
General Oglethorpe. 

thorpe himself took out over one hundred emi- 
grants, who reached Georgia in 1733. Oglethorpe 
chose the site of the city of Savannah, and laid out 
Its plan. Like William Penn, he bought the land 
from the Indians, who for a long time remained 
very friendly. Once some of the Indians gave 
Oglethorpe a buffalo skin, on the inside of which 



136 History of the United States. 

were painted an eagle's head and some feathers. 
" The feathers," they said, " are soft, and stand for 
love ; and the skin is warm, and means protection ; 
so love and protect us." 

Oglethorpe lived a whole year in a tent, doing all 
that he could to help the colonists. He would not 
allow any rum in the colony, nor would he have 
any slaves. 

He knew that industry is necessary for success, 
and, finding that mulberry trees would grow in 
Georgia, he sent to Europe for silk worms, which 
feed upon mulberry leaves, hoping that Georgia 
would become a great silk-producing country ; but 
the business did not pay very well, and after some 
years it was given up. 

The Spaniards in Florida were angry because of 
the settlement of Georgia, claiming that the colony 
was upon Spanish territory ; and they prepared for 
war. Oglethorpe, who was an old soldier, was not 
afraid of the Spaniards, and defeated them so com- 
pletely that there was no trouble for a long time. 

The news that Georgia was a place for the op- 
pressed soon spread over Europe, and Moravians 
and Lutherans from the Continent, and Highland- 
ers from Scotland, came over to the settlement. The 
colony promised well, but some of the laws which 
Oglethorpe and the trustees had made for the bene- 
fit of the colonists were not popular. 

Their neighbors in the Carolinas and in the 



Oglethorpe and Georgia. 137 

other colonies had slaves, and these colonists wished 
to have slaves ; the rum trade also was very profita- 
ble, and they longed for a share in the business. 
They did not like the restrictions thrown around 
them, and one by one these had to be given up. 
Slaves were introduced before many years, and the 
rum trade was beo-un. 

One great reason why the colony did not at first 
prosper was that the colonists were not enterprising 
men. Many of them had fallen into trouble in Eng- 
land and had become debtors because they had not 
the knack of getting on in the \vorld ; and moving 
to Georgia had not changed their characters. 

The trustees, after t\venty years' trial, gave up 
their charter to the king, and Georgia became a 
royal colony, in its law^s and form of government 
resembling the other colonies. More emigrants 
came, and gradually Georgia entered on a prosper- 
ous career. 

Oglethorpe spent ten years or more in the col- 
ony, and then went back to England. He lived to 
see the independence of the United States. Some 
one who saw him in 1784 wrote, "Even then he 
was the finest figure of a man you ever saw ; but 
very, very old ; the flesh on his face Hke parchment." 
He died the next year, 1785, the last of the original 
English colonizers and one of the best. 



138 History of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

General Oglethorpe, moved by the hardships of pris- 
oners for debt, founded Georgia. This was the last of the 
English colonies to be established. He invited the op- 
pressed of all nations. He gained no profit for himself. 
Laws were made for the good of the people, but they did 
not like them. The colony was not prosperous for a long 
time. • 

Tell the story of Oglethorpe. 

What suggested to him the founding of a colony? 

Whom did he invite to his colony? 

What was it called? 

Why was it not successful? 



LIFE IN NEW ENGLAND AND THE MIDDLE 
COLONIES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 

The colonists in New England had come from 
England expecting to work, and they brought up 
their children in the same way of thinking. No 
idle persons were tolerated. 

In the early days, there was continual fear of the 
Indians in many parts of the country, and constant 
watch had to be kept for these dreaded foes. This 
fear led the people to live very much in villages, 
rather than on plantations as in Virginia, or on large 
farms as in Pennsylvania. 

The attention of the colonists was early turned 
to the sea, as the soil of New England is rocky and 
not very fertile. Soon there were no better sailors 
in the world than those of New England. Their 
vessels went to the banks of Newfoundland for 
codfish, and, besides this, a large and very profit- 
able trade sprang up with the West Indies. The 
vessels took fish, lumber, and flour, and brought 
back sugar, and especially molasses, out of which 
rum was made. 

The life of the people was simple and often severe. 
This was shown most in their reliction. We have 
seen how the old Puritans were unwilling for others 

139 



140 History of the United States. 

to act or even to think differently from them in re- 
gard to reHgious matters. This led the ministers 
and the magistrates to persecute the Quakers and 
others. Rhode Island alone of the New England 
colonies never persecuted men on account of their 
religion. 




Female Costumes of 1776. 

The minister, particularly in the earlier days, was 
the most important man in the community. The 
churches, or " meeting-houses," as they called them, 
were built usually of wood, with lofty pulpits and 
high-back pews. The meeting-house was not heated 
in winter, and to keep warm the church-goers carried 
from home hot stones or bricks, and, in later times, 
small foot-stoves. Sermons were often two hours 
long. The hymns and psalms were given out by the 



Life in New England, 



141 



minister or clerk, line by line, and sung by the whole 
congregation. It was the duty of the tithing-man 
to keep order in the meeting-house, and if boys and 
girls went to sleep or misbehaved in meeting, they 
would feel the rap of his stick on their heads. Men 




A Dame School. 

and women, if they fell asleep, were also waked up; 
the men, by the tap of one end of the stick, and the 
women, by the tickling of their faces with a fox- 
tail, which hung from the other end of the stick. 
Fines for misconduct in church were common, and 



142 History of the United States. 



Yale College 'in 



we are told of one girl who was fined five shillings 
for laughing in meeting. 

The value in which education was held is shown 
by the founding of Harvard College in 1636 and 
1 701. In most of the colonies 
children were 

Timetixi^^om^U compelled to go 

Both great and fmail; to school. The 

early school- 

ITfitfi^'jbcautcousVyife house, however, 

Made D<ivrrf feck ms ^^5 ^'^^^^_ 

Life. -^ 




Wjahf in the Sea 
God's Voice obey. 



ent from most of 
those of to-day. 
There were no 
desks, and low 

backs were the 



die, 
And to mutt you 8^ Ir 



only seats ; oiled 
paper was used 
in the windows 
instead of glass, 
and everything 
was of the rud- 
est description. 

Any noise or 
disorder was 
severely punished, and the schoolmaster was almost 
as much feared as the minister. The school books 
were few ; the master or mistress set copies to teach 



Touib forward IlJps 
Death loonell -Dips. 

Zacbeus he 

Did climb tfic Tree 

Hi^^ Lord to fee. 



Fac-simile of a Page from the " New 
England Primer." 

By permission of Dodd, Mead & Co. 



Life in New England. 



H3 



writing, and examples in arithmetic to be worked out. 
For about a hundred years, the '' New England 
Primer" was the chief text-book. From this little 
book the boys and girls were taught their letters and 
how to spell ; and from it they learned Bible texts 
and hymns to repeat aloud. It had queer pictures, 
with verses intended to teach some useful lesson. 
Litde besides reading, writing, and arithmetic was 
taught. It was another duty of the tithing-man to 
hunt up truants and bring them to school. 

The dwelling-houses were generally built of wood. 
The most important room was the kitchen ; in 
winter this was the only warm room in the house. 
In the kitchen was a yawning fireplace, large enough 
to take in logs four 
or five feet long. In 
the fireplace was the 
crane, from which 
hung pot-hooks and 
hangers to support the 
pots and kettles over 
the fire. Around the 
hearth, during the long 
winter evenings, was 
gathered the family, the women spinning or weaving 
or knitting, while the men rested after the day's work. 
One or two tallow-dip candles gave all the light 
except that which came from the fire. A tall clock 
ticked in one corner; by it was a brass warming-pan 




Tinder Box, Flint, and Steel. 



144 History of the United States. 

with a long handle ; a weatherwise almanac hung 
from a peg; bunches of herbs, to be used in times 
of sickness, and strings of dried apples, dangled from 
the ceiling; a tall dresser, with rows of plates and 
pewter platters, was on one side of the room, while 
wooden-seated chairs, a settle in the corner, and one 




A New England Kitchen. 



or two tables completed the furniture. There were 
no matches : instead of them, a tinder-box, flint, and 
steel were used to strike a liorht. 

Life was not without amusement, for there were 
apple-paring and quilting bees, corn-huskings, 
house and barn raisings, and various gatherings 



Life in New England. 



145 



at which the young men and young women and 
the boys and girls had much fun. The great day 
of the year was Thanksgiving Day, for Christmas 
was not then observed in New England. Wed- 
dings and funerals were very great occasions, and 
old and young from all the country round would 
come to attend them. 

There were, of course, many fine mansions in 
New England, and many persons lived in hand- 
some style, but 
the general way 
of living was 
much simpler 
than in the other 
colonies. 

In New York 
there were many 
things w h i c h 
showed the influ- 
ence of the 
Dutch. The pa- 
troons along the 
Hudson River, 
with their 
manor-houses and their extensive farms, lived like 
noblemen. Their houses were large and finely orna- 
mented ; the mantelpieces were carved and the fire- 
places surrounded with tiles. There was usually a 
large garden, carefully laid out with edges of box, 




A Spinning Wheel. 



146 History of the United States. 

and beds full of bright flowers. The lands of these 
patroons were well cultivated, large herds of cattle 
were in the fields, and great crops of hay, straw, 
and other produce filled their barns. 

The smaller Dutch farmers and their descendants 
were industrious and thrifty ; their houses were 
models of neatness, and there were no better cooks 







CoNESTOGA Wagon. 



in America. They took life more easily than the New 
Englanders, and gave more time to amusements. 

Pennsylvania, settled by the Quakers and Ger- 
mans, was perhaps the most prosperous of the 
colonies. Here were large farms of fertile and well- 
cultivated land. The establishments of the Friends 
were neat and well taken care of; the farms of the 



Life in New England. 147 

Germans were easily recognized by the huge, well- 
appointed barns and the small farm-houses. The 
thrifty German knew that well-housed and well- 
fed cattle give more milk, weigh heavier, and are 
more profitable in every way. Wheat and corn, 
straw and hay, went further and sold better when 
kept from the weather ; so the barns were large, 
well built, and kept in good repair. Here, too, 
could be seen the Conestoga wagon, with its large 
body shaped somewhat like a boat, the back 
and front rising far above the axles, while the 
whole wagon was covered with coarse cotton cloth 
stretched over bent supports and gathered together 
at each end. 

The roads in all the colonies were bad. It took 
a long time to go from place to place ; so every- 
thing possible was made at home. Each village 
had its blacksmith and its wheelwright, and mills 
for grinding grain were placed on the nearest 
stream which had fall enough to give the necessary 
power. Where there were no suitable streams, as 
on Cape Cod, the island of Nantucket, and else- 
where, quaint windmills were built, some of which 
are still standing. 

When possible, travellers went by water or on 
horseback. Those who went by coach frequently 
had to get down and drag the coach out of some 
quagmire. In many places a ride of thirty miles was 
considered a good day's journey. The fast coach, 



148 History of the United States. 



known as the " Flying Machine," was advertised to 
make the journey of ninety miles between New 
York and Philadelphia in two days ; while it took 
five days to go the hundred miles between Phila- 
delphia and Baltimore, and six days to go from 

Boston to New York. 
In many parts of 
the country there was 
no mail at all, and the 
few letters which were 
written were sent by 
private hands. In 
1775, it was thought 
a ereat convenience 




To the PUBLIC. 

THE FLYING MACHINE, kept Dy 
John Mercereau, at the New Blazing-Star-Feny, 
near New- York, fets off from Powles Hook every Mon- 
day, Wednefday, and Friday Mornings, for Philadelphia, 
and performs the Journey in a Day and a Half, for the 
Summer Seafon, till the iflof November ; from that Time 
to go twice a Week till the firft of May, when they 
again perform it three Times a Week. When the Stages 



Jhe Price foreach Ps^enger i&Twenfy Shillings, Proc and 
oods as ufual. PafTengers going P&rt of the Way to pay 
in Proportion. 

As the Propnetor has made fuch Improvements upon 
the Machines, one of which is in Imitation oF aCoach, 
he hopes to merit the Favour of the Publick. 

JOHN MERCEREAV. 



Flying Machine' 



Advertisement. 



00 only twice aWeek, they fet off Mondays and Thurf- i_1_ „ 11 ..^^ !1 

days. The Waggons in Philadelphia fet o«t from the tO liaVC a WCeKly ITiail 

Sign of the George, in Second ftreet, the fame Morning. t-» i 

ThePafTengersaredenredtocrorsthe Ferry (he Evening hPtwPPn HostOH TWXH 

before, as the Stages mu ft fet off early the next Morning. UCLV\CC11 JJU:5UU11 clllH 

Philadelphia, and to 
receive answers to 
letters from either city 
within three weeks. 
Life in the southern 
colonies was quite different from that farther north. 
This was due partly to the character of the country, 
partly to the people, and partly to the number of 
negro slaves. Some of the more prominent cir- 
cumstances of southern life are noted in the chapter 
on Washington. 



Life in New England. 149 



OUTLINE. 

The colonists in New England came to make homes. 
There was great dread of the Indians. The soil being 
poor, many of the colonists became seamen, and commerce 
sprang up. The life of the people was simple, and often 
severe. The minister was the most important man. Church 
services were held in high esteem. Education was valued. 
Harvard College was founded 1636, and Yale College 1701. 
Only the elements of learning were taught in the schools. 
Dwelling-houses were usually built of wood. 

In New York the influence of the Dutch was seen. The 
patroons lived hke noblemen. The Dutch were good 
farmers, and were very industrious and thrifty. 

Pennsylvania was perhaps the most prosperous of all 
the colonies. Roads in all the colonies were bad. It took 
a long time to go from place to place. In many parts of 
the country there were no mails. 

Why did many of the New England colonists become sailors? 

Describe the meeting-houses and the services. 

What was done if any one misbehaved ? 

Describe the schools. 

Tell about the dwelling-houses and their furniture. 

Tell about life in New York ; in Pennsylvania. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 




Franklin's Birthplace. 



Benjamin Franklin, the youngest son of his 
parents, and of seventeen children the fifteenth, was 

born in Boston, Massachusetts, 
January 17, 1706. Josiah 
FrankHn, his father, was stern, 
and very independent and un- 
vieldino: in his character. 

When Benjamin was ten 
vears old, he was taken from 
school, and put to work in his 
father's shop, where soap and 
tallow candles were made. It 
was the boy's business to help in the boiling of the 
soap, to put the wicks in the candle-moulds, and to 
trim them. When not at work he used to play 
about the wharves of Boston, which were near his 
father's house, and he early learned to swim like 
a duck and to row a boat, and he came to think 
it would be a fine thinor to q^o to sea. 

Benjamin disliked his work so much that his 
father, fearing his son would run away, looked 
around to find some other trade for him. Taking 
his son to walk with him, he visited joiners, braziers, 

150 



Benjamin Franklin. 



151 



bricklayers, and turners at their work, to see if 
Benjamin would be attracted to one of these trades. 
But the boy did not like any of them. 

From the time he could read, young Benjamin 
liad been very fond of books, and his father thought 




Benjamin Franklin. 

After the portrait by Duplessis, painted in 1783. 



that he might make a good printer. Now James 
Franklin, one of Benjamin's older brothers, had a 
printing-office, and to his brother James, one of the 
first printers in America, the lad was apprenticed. 
So the boy had left school, had tried one trade, 



152 History of the United States. 

and had started in another, before he was thirteen 
years old. Benjamin Hked his new business very 
much, and soon became an expert printer. 

He now could see much of books, for his brother 
dealt with booksellers, and Benjamin was able to 
borrow many volumes, all of which he read eagerly, 
sometimes sitting up most of the night in order to 
finish one. All the money he was able to spare he 
spent on books. 

He begged his brother to give him half of what 
his board cost, and to let him board himself. His 
brother agreed to this. Benjamin now lived on the 
simplest diet, eating no meat at all. While the 
other printers were taking their time over their 
dinner, he was reading. 

He secretly wrote articles for the newspaper 
printed by his brother, and slipped his essays, writ- 
ten in a disguised hand, under the door of the shop. 
Nobody suspected that the boy had written these 
essays, but they were good enough to print, and 
they were printed. 

He was greatly amused to hear his brother talk- 
ing about these articles, and wondering who could 
have written them. When James Franklin found 
out who was the author, he was both angry and 
jealous. Benjamin was now and then flogged by 
his brother, for a master had great power over his 
apprentices in those days. 

One day James Franklin published something in 



Benjamin Franklin. 153 

his paper which displeased the government so much 
that he was put into prison. Now, no apprentice 
was allowed to carry on a business, and yet James 
Franklin wished Benjamin to carry on the paper, 
for otherwise it would be stopped. So Benjamin 
was released from his apprenticeship, and the paper 
was published in his name. The youth of sixteen 
had actually become a newspaper publisher. 

When James Franklin was released from prison 
he took up his business again, but the brothers did 
not get on together any better than before, and Ben- 
jamin determined to leave his brother's employ. 

Finding that he could not get any work in Bos- 
ton, Benjamin made up his mind to run away. He 
went on board a sloop bound for New York, where 
he hoped to find employment. After a voyage of 
three days he reached that town, but was unsuccess- 
ful in finding work, and was advised to go on to 
Philadelphia. 

He took passage on a sloop to Amboy. The 
weather was very stormy, and Franklin got thoroughly 
wet. On reaching Amboy he started to walk across 
New Jersey. It was raining, and soon his clo.thes 
were spattered over with mud, so that he was a 
most sorry-looking figure. But he persevered, and 
on the third day reached Burlington. Here he 
secured a place on a boat going to Philadelphia. 

It was night before that town was reached, and 
there were so few lights that the crew rowed past it 



154 History of the United States. 

before they were aware. They went ashore, and 
making a fire of some fence rails, spent the night on 
the ground. 

In the morning they rowed back to Philadelphia, 
and landed at the foot of Market Street. Franklin 
was without luggage, and he set foot in Phila- 
delphia in muddy clothes and with his pockets 
stuffed out with stockings and shirts. 

He inquired for a baker's shop. When he found 
one, he asked for three pennyworth of bread. "He 
gave me," says Franklin, "three great puffy rolls. I 
was surprised at the quantity, but took it, and, having 
no room in my pockets, walked off with a roll under 
each arm and eating the other. Thus I went up 
Market Street as far as Fourth Street, passing by 
the door of Mr. Read, my future wife's father ; when 
she, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I 
made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous 
appearance." 

After eating his roll, he washed it down with a 
draught of water from the river. The other two 
rolls he gave to a woman. 

He was tired and sleepy, and followed a number 
of persons into what proved to be a Quaker meet- 
ing-house, for it was Sunday morning. It happened 
that no one preached that day, and Franklin, soothed 
by the quiet, went to sleep, and w^as wakened only 
by the Friends going out. " This," he says, " was 
the first house I was in, or slept in, in Philadelphia." 



Benjamin Franklin. 155 

Franklin soon found employment with a printer 
named Keimer. There were only two printers in 
Philadelphia in 1723, the year of Franklin's arrival, 
and neither was a good workman. Franklin's superior 
skill soon attracted notice, for Philadelphia was then 
a small place. 

One day Keimer was greatly surprised and 
pleased to see Sir William Keith, the governor of 
Pennsylvania, come into his office. However, it 
was not Keimer but young Franklin that the gov- 
ernor wished to see. 

The governor was much pleased with Franklin, 
and took him home to dinner; he even proposed 
that the young man should set up in business for 
himself, promising to give him the government 
printing. But Franklin had no money to buy type 
and presses, and he did not believe that his father 
would help him. The governor said " He wall, if I 
write him a letter." It seemed too good a chance 
to throw away, so Benjamin went back to Boston 
to see his father. 

Franklin had been remarkably successful. He 
had been frugal and industrious, and he presented 
a very different appearance from that of the runaway 
youth of the previous year. " I had on," he says, " a 
genteel new suit from head to foot, a watch, and 
my pockets lined with near five pounds sterling in 
Sliver. 

The old Puritan father had no confidence in the 



156 History of the United States. 

promises of the governor, nor did he think well of 
" setting a boy up in business, who wanted yet 
three years of being at man's estate." So Benja- 
min got little besides good advice. 

On his return to Philadelphia, the governor said, 
" Since your father will not set you up, I will do it 
myself." He advised Franklin to go to London 
to buy his types and press, and promised to give 
him letters of introduction and money drafts. 

But the governor put off giving the letters and 
drafts' from day to day, until the very day of sail- 
ing came ; then he promised that he would send 
them on board at Newcastle. At the last moment, 
a messenger from the governor did come with a 
package, and the vessel set sail. When the pack- 
age was opened on the voyage, nothing was found 
for Franklin. Governor Keith had cheated the 
young man. 

Franklin found employment in London, at wages 
more than enough to support him. His fellow- 
printers were great beer drinkers. Franklin drank 
nothing but water, and though he was ridiculed and 
called the " water American," he persevered in his 
practice, and proved that he was stronger than 
those who drank so much beer. 

His fondness for reading did not lessen, and he 
now paid a second-hand bookseller for the privi- 
lege of reading books from his stall. 

Franklin did not like England very much ; so 



Benjamin Franklin. 



157 



when, after a stay of eighteen months, he had an 
opportunity to return, he gladly came back to Amer- 
ica. He reached Philadelphia in October, 1756, and 
found work with his old employer, Keimer. After 
a while, the father of one of his companions in the 
printing-office set up his son and Franklin in busi- 
ness together. 

Franklin was skilful, 
industrious, and a good 
manager; but his partner 
took to drinking, and 
soon the business fell 
largely into Franklin's 
hands. Some of his 



friends, seeing his thrift 
and industry, lent him 
money to buy out his 
partner, and Franklin 
had now a printing-house 
of his own. 

Before this, the young 
men had bought a news- 
paper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, ^ Franklin im- 
proved the paper so much that its circulation was 
greatly increased. He was one of the first pub- 
lishers to encourage frequent advertising. 

He was shrewd as well as industrious. He says: 




Franklin's Printing Press. 

In the custody of the Smithsonian Institute. 



This paper still exists ; it is now called the Saturday Evening 



Post. 



158 History of the United States. 





anaHSf 



" In order to secure my credit and character as a 
tradesman, I took care not only to be in reahty 
industrious and frugal, but to avoid all appearances 
to the contrary. I dressed plainly ; I was seen at 
no places of idle diversion ; I never went out a-fish- 
ing or shooting ; and, to show that I was not above 
my business, I sometimes brought home the paper 

I purchased at the stores, 
through the streets on a 
wheelbarrow." 

He paid all his bills 
promptly, a practice which 
gained for him a well- 
deserved reputation for in- 
dustry and frugality. He 
did his work well, and he 
soon had all the business 
he could attend to. 

In 1730, he married Deb- 
orah Read, the young 
lady who had laughed at him on his first entrance 
into Philadelphia. The marriage was a congenial 
one, and they lived together more than forty years. 
Deborah Franklin was a true helper to her hus- 
band. She folded and stitched the pamphlets, 
attended to the stationery shop, and did all the 
housework. 

Franklin's marriage steadied him, for, notwith- 
standing his good sense and general industry, he 



'mir 



F'RANKLiN's Old Book Shop in 
Philadelphia. 




Benjamin Franklin. 159 

would now and then give way to temptations of 
various kinds. But he was continually trying to 
improve, and was always ready to help other per- 
sons by giving good advice, if he could do no 
more. 

He knew that every household had an almanac, 
and he resolved to publish one better than any 
that had appeared. In 1732, when he was twenty- 
six years old, he issued the first copy of " Poor 
Richard's Almanac," which continued to be pub- 
lished annually for twenty-five years. 

The almanac professed to be edited by one Rich- 
ard Saunders, but every one knew that Benjamin 
Franklin was the real editor. It did not differ 
much in plan from other almanacs except that every 
number had wise sayings scattered throughout the 
calendar. 

, These sayings were full of homely wisdom, and 
were such as to encourage thrift and industry. 
Many of them have become proverbs, and it is 
impossible to tell how much influence they have had 
upon the American people. 

Here are some of these wise and witty sayings : 
"It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright." 
" God helps them that help themselves." " Three 
removes are as bad as a fire." " One to-day is 
worth two to-morrows." -^ 

" Early to bed and early to rise 
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." 



i6o History of the United States. 



As Franklin continued to prosper in his own 
affairs he began to think of the pubHc welfare^ 
and the improvements he suggested or set on foot 
are ahiiost numberless. He succeeded in having 
the streets of Philadelphia paved ; he organized the 
first fire company to put out fires ; he started the 
Philadelphia Library, the first public library in 

America, and it is still 
flourishing ; he started 
also the American Philo- 
sophical Society. 

Wood was the fuel in 
general use in Franklin's 
time and there was great 
waste in burning it in 
the wide, open fireplaces 
then common in the 
houses. To lessen this 
waste, Franklin invented 
what he called the " Pennsylvania Fireplace." This 
invention was a successful one, and the Franklin 
fireplace, as it is now called, is still used. 

To show the benefit of mineral fertilizers, " he 
wrote in a field on the roadside, in large, broad 
letters, with powdered plaster of Paris, ' This has 
been plastered,' and soon the brilliant green of the 
letters carried the lesson to every passer-by." 

The scientific world was much interested in elec- 
tricity, but nobody knew very much about it. A 




Franklin's Model of the Pennsyl- 
vania Fireplace. 

Now owned by the American Philosophical 
Society. 



Benjamin Franklin. i6i 

friend in London sent Franklin some apparatus, 
with which he experimented a great deal ; and, as 
his custom was, he carefully noted down everything 
he observed. 

He became sure that lightning and electricity 
are similar, and that thunder clouds are full of elec- 
tricity. To prove that his opinion was correct, he 
made a kite out of a silk handkerchief, and put a 
piece of sharpened wire on the top of the kite. 
The string of the kite was hemp, except where he 
held it, and that part was silk. At the end of the 
string was an iron key. 

He felt sure that, if lightning and electricity were 
the same thing, the iron wire would attract the elec- 
tricity, which would then come down the string, and 
if he touched the key there would be a spark, and 
a shock of electricity. 

He was so fearful that his experiment would fail, 
that he took with him only his son, a young man 
of twenty-two, and chose the night-time for his 
experiment. He flew the kite, some thunder 
clouds passed over it, and he touched the key, but 
there was no spark. Just as he was beginning to 
doubt his success, he saw the fibres of the string 
rise up ; again he touched the key with his hand ; 
he now saw a spark and received a shock. He 
presently drew in his kite and went into the house, 
satisfied that he had proved his case. 

Franklin^gained world-wide fame as a philosopher. 



1 62 History of the United States. 

Yale and Harvard gave him the degree of master 
of arts ; he was elected a member of the Royal 
Society in London, and later, three universities in 
Great Britain gave him the honorary degree of doc- 
tor of laws, so that he was thenceforth known as 
Dr. Franklin. 

He had been so successful in his business that 
he practically retired at the age of forty-two, in- 
tending to devote himself to study and research ; 
but he was so useful a man that his fellow-citizens 
would not allow him to remain in retirement. For 
more than forty years longer, until old age pre- 
vented, he was continuously in the service of his 
country. 

He was a member of the leo^islature ; he was 
sent to treat with the Indians ; he was made post- 
master-general of the colonies. When trouble 
began between France and England, he was sent 
to a convention at Albany, in 1754, and there pro- 
posed a plan for the union of all the colonies in 
America. 

When the province of Pennsylvania needed 
somebody to look after her interests in England, 
Franklin was selected, and remained in England 
five years. He had been at home scarcely two years 
when he was sent a second time, and remained 
nearly seven years. 

England had fought with France in the New 
World and had conquered, gaining all Canada. Eng- 



Benjamin Franklin. 163 

land having found out during the conflict how rich 
and how strong the colonies had become, resolved 
to tax them. The money raised by taxation was 
to be spent in America for the benefit of the colonies, 
but the Americans objected to paying taxes which 
they had no voice in imposing. 

Franklin did all that he could to prevent the pas- 
sage of the "Stamp Act," in 1765. After it was 
passed, he hastened its repeal by testifying to the 
determination of his countrymen never to pay the 
tax. 

Franklin returned home; and the day after his 
arrival he was unanimously elected a member of 
the Continental Congress. He was on all the im- 
portant committees. He helped to draw up the 
Declaration of Independence, and signed it. 

The United States greatly desired to get some of 
the European countries to help them in their strug- 
gle against England. What one of these would be 
more likely to give aid than France, England's tra- 
ditional enemy, that had so lately been compelled 
to surrender Canada? 

Who could be more suitable to send than Dr. 
Franklin? Everybody had heard of him; he had 
lived a number of years in England, and knew 
the English well, while no one knew the Americans 
better. Few could speak more intelligently on 
the subject than he. So, at the age of seventy, a 
period of life when many men would have excused 



J 64 History of the United States. 

themselves, he went abroad again in behalf of his 
country. 

In nothing did Franklin show his good sense 
more than in the simplicity of his dress and man- 
ners. It was the fashion to wear very showy clothes ; 
he wore a brown suit, simply made ; it was the cus- 
tom for gentlemen to wear wigs ; Franklin wore no 
wig, but appeared in his own gray hair ; most gen- 
tlemen wore swords ; Franklin wore no sword, and 
his only weapon was a walking-stick. 

He was enthusiastically received by the French 
people, and, later, by the French government, in 
time he was able to persuade France to send money 
to America. He helped to make a treaty in which 
France recognized the United States as an inde- 
pendent power, and promised to send men and ships 
to aid the new nation. 

It is impossible to over-estimate the services of 
Franklin to the United States at this period. When 
the war came to an end, he was one of the three 
men who arranged the treaty with England in which 
the independence of the colonies was acknowl- 
edged. 

At last Franklin, now an old man in his eightieth 
year, was released from public service. He suffered 
much from gout and other ailments. When the 
king of France learned that it was painful to Frank- 
lin to ride in a carriage, the monarch sent one of the 
queen's litters, in which the old doctor was carried, 



Beniamin Franklin. 



65 



by easy stages, to the seaport where he was to em- 
bark. The king gave him his miniature portrait, 
surrounded with four hundred diamonds. 







Franklin's Grave. 



A great crowd welcomed Franklin on his return 
to Philadelphia. His health was much improved by 
the sea voyage ; and now the citizens of Pennsylvania 



1 66 History of the United States. 

elected him president of the state. He was re- 
elected twice, and he would have been chosen for 
the office a fourth time had he not positively refused 
to be a candidate. 

His last public service was as a member of the 
convention which prepared the Constitution of the 
United States. He lived to see Washinoton Presi- 
dent, and the new government in successful opera- 
tion. He died in 1790, and it is said that twenty 
thousand persons were at his funeral. He is buried, 
by the side of his wife, in the old churchyard, on 
the corner of Fifth and Arch streets, Philadelphia. 
A simple, flat stone marks their resting-place. 



OUTLINE. 

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, 
1706. He was taken from school when he was ten years 
old and put in his father's soap and candle shop. He was 
apprenticed to his brother, a printer, and became an excel- 
lent printer. He ran away and went to Philadelphia. He 
entered a printing-office. Went to London. Returned to 
Philadelphia. Was thrifty and industrious. Did much 
for the public welfare. Became one of the foremost 
citizens of America. Helped to draw up the Declara- 
tion of Independence. Was sent to represent the 
United States at Paris. Discovered that electricity and 
lightning were the same. He was of great service to his 
country. 



Benjamin Franklin. 167 

Tell the story of Franklin's youth; how he ran away from 
Boston. 

Tell the story of his journey to Philadelphia, and his arrival. 

Tell the story of his early years in Philadelphia. 

Tell how he gained a reputation for industry. 

Describe " Poor Richard's Almanac." 

What did he do for Philadelphia? 

Tell the story of his kite experiment. 

Tell how he served his state and country. 

Tell about his service in France. 

Give an account of his later years. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. — THE FRENCH AND 
INDIAN WAR. 

George Washington was born at Bridge's Creek, 
in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on the 2 2d 
of February, 1732. Augustine Washington, his 
father, was an old-time Virginia planter, and Hved 
in an old-time Virginia house. The house was a 




Birthplace of Washington. 

The house is no longer standing; its site is marked by a monument. 

wooden one. It had four rooms on the ground 
floor, and an attic with a long, sloping roof; and 
there was a huge brick chimney at each end. 
This house was burned down when George was 
about three years old, and the family moved to 

168 



George Washington. 169 

another plantation on the Rappahannock River, 
nearly opposite Fredericksburg. Here the youth- 
ful days of Washington were passed, and here, when 
he was about eleven years old, the father died, leav- 
ing his young family to the care of his widow, 
Mary Washington. She was an able, sensible, strong- 
willed woman, and admirably fulfilled her trust. 

In the Virginia of those days, the roads w^ere few 
and bad. Most of the inhabitants lived near the 
rivers, and for travelling used boats, or rode horse- 
back. 

There were no stage-coaches or other means for 
public travel. The inns were few and uncomforta- 
ble, but the planters were so hospitable that a 
respectable traveller could always count on a warm 
welcome in some private house ; in return for his 
entertainment, the hosts would count themselves 
favored in being able to learn the news. 

Such visitors were all the more welcome because 
the mail came only once in two weeks from the 
North, and was sent but once a month to the South. 
There was no newspaper published in Virginia till 
four years after Washington was born. 

The life of a Virginia planter was, in many ways, 
the life of an English nobleman. He was lord of 
large estates ; in the centre, or perhaps near the 
river, was his mansion. Close by it were the various 
out-buildings, the stables, and the negro quarters, 
which looked like a little village. Surrounding this 



170 History of the United States. 

group of buildings were broad acres of grain, pas- 
tures, meadow lands, and large fields of tobacco. 

Almost every plantation bordered on a river and 
had a landing or wharf. Here the vessels from 
other parts of the colony and from different places 
in America, but more often from England, would 
come for tobacco, the great staple export of Vir- 



-m^ 




<rii( yif^^^i.'T\^^€(^ ^^fcl'.';- 



A Southern Homestead. 

From a photograph. 



ginia. These vessels would bring for exchange 
household goods and supplies of all kinds. The 
arrival of such a vessel was a great event to those 
who lived on a plantation. 

The negro slaves formed fully half the popula- 
tion, and were, on the whole, kindly treated ; there 
were white servants also, who, in order to come to 
the New World, had sold themselves for a term of 
years. Others among the white servants were con- 
victs, banished from England by the authorities. 

There were in the colony a few traders, as well 



George Washington. 171 

as some small farmers, whose great ambition was 
to become large planters. The economical working- 
man of New England and the thrifty mechanic of 
the Middle Colonies were almost unknown in Vir- 
ginia, and in the other southern colonies. Each 
large planter had his own mechanics, the most intel- 
ligent negro men being trained as blacksmiths, car- 
penters, masons, etc. There were very few schools, 
hardly any, in fact, deserving the name, and the Col- 
lege of William and Mary at Williamsburg, founded 
in 1692, had not prospered. The sons of the rich 
planters were taught by the clergymen of the par- 
ish, or by a tutor in the family, and were often sent 
to England and educated at the great schools and 
universities there. 

Indeed, with almost no commerce, little trade 
except in tobacco, and little legal business, there 
was not much demand for education ; knowledge 
of men and things was considered of more value 
than knowledge of books. The Virginian of the 
upper class was a hearty, athletic, independent 
man. 

Such a man, of course, could have no spur to lit- 
erary ambition ; the distinction he sought was that 
which came from serving in war or in politics. 
The rich planters had much time on their hands, 
and many of them devoted their leisure to fishing, 
fox-hunting, horse-racing, and cock-fighting. 

It was fortunate for Washington that he w^as a 



172 History of the United States. 

younger son, and that he was in moderate circum- 
stances during the early years of his hfe. 

He early went to an " old-field school," ^ taught by 
the sexton of the parish, a man by the name of 
Hobby. Washington, after his father's death, went 
to live with his half-brother, Augustine, so that he 
might go to a better school. He was taught no 
other language than English, but his instruction in 
arithmetic, geometry, and surveying was excellent. 
He was a good student, and at the same time an 
active, strong boy, fond of athletic games and very 
successful in them. 

While at school he had a great longing to go to 
sea. He had often seen the ships with their cargoes 
of foreign goods at the riverside, and had watched 
them while they were being loaded with tobacco for 
England, and he thought that life on shipboard 
would be a fine thino-. His mother had almost 

o 

yielded to his wish, but her brother advised so 
strongly against the plan that it was given up, and 
George returned to school. 

He was a thoughtful lad. Before he was fifteen 
years old he had copied out, in round and boyish 
but beautifully regular handwriting, over one hun- 
dred rules in regard to behavior and good morals. 
There is no doubt that he tried to follow many of 
them. " The chief thought that runs through all 

1 Schoolhouses were often built in fields which were so worn out by 
continual crops that nothing could be grown in them. 



George Washington. 



173 



these rules is to practise self-control, and, from what 
we know of the boy and man, few have been more 
successful in the practice of this virtue." 

He left school at fifteen, and went to live with 
his eldest half-brother, Lawrence, who had built a 
fine house on high ground overlooking the Potomac 
River. Lawrence had named the estate Mount 




Mount Vernon, 



Vernon, after the English admiral under whom 
he had served in Europe. 

Lawrence Washington, the elder by fourteen 
years, became warmly attached to his young brother. 
Lawrence had married into the Fairfax family. 

Lord Fairfax, who had inherited immense estates 
in Virginia, came to live in the colony. He was 
now about sixty years old. He w^as a w^ell-educated 
man, had seen much of the world, was a keen ob- 



174 History of the United States. 

server, and altogether was a fine specimen of an 
English nobleman. He, too, became very fond of 
the earnest, active, thoughtful boy, and soon had 
the opportunity to be of great service to him. 

Nothino- shows us the real Geors^e Washine- 
ton so well as the fact that two men, who were 
experienced in the world, enjoyed the companion- 
sliip of this youth of sixteen, and loved and trusted 
him. 

Lord Fairfax had vast estates in an almost untrod- 
den wilderness beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. 
These lands had never been surveyed. To Wash- 
ington Lord Fairfax intrusted the task of surveying 
these estates and fixino- their boundaries. 

The lad of sixteen, in company with a brother-in- 
law of Lawrence Washington and a few attendants, 
started in the early spring of 1748 on a trip up the 
Shenandoah Valley. 

They slept in tents, or in settlers' hutSj or on the 
ground under the open sky. They swam the rivers, 
pushed through the forests, and climbed the moun- 
tains. At one time they came upon a band of 
Indians on the war-path, and watched one of their 
wild war-dances around the camp-fire. 

When Washino-ton returned and showed his sur- 
veys. Lord Fairfax was greatly pleased with the 
Clearness and accuracy with which the work had 
been done, and secured for his young friend the 
position of public surveyor. This was of great ad- 



George Washington. 175 

vantage to Washington, for it gave him regular 
work. 

He followed this business for three years. It was 
a rough life. He spent much time on the frontier, 
where there were few settlements, and where the 
danger from wild animals and unfriendly Indians was 
great. The young man gained experience, and be- 
came hardy, self-reliant, and able to foresee dangers 
and to meet them. 

Young as he was, he did his work well. His sur- 
veys were accepted without hesitation, and were 
never questioned afterward. 

He thus describes his life in a letter to a friend : 
" Since you have received my letter of October last, 
I have not slept above three or four times in a bed, 
but, after walking a good way all the day, I have 
lain down before the fire upon a little hay, straw, 
fodder, or a bearskin, whichever was to be had, with 
man, wife, and children, like dogs and cats ; and 
happy is he who gets the berth nearest the fire." 

The health of Lawrence Washington having 
failed, he went to Barbados, in the West Indies, 
in the hope of being benefited, and took his brother 
George with him. While on the trip George had 
a serious attack of smallpox. On his recovery 
the brothers returned to Viro^inia. Less than six 
months later Lawrence Washington died, leaving 
his brother George the guardian of his daughter, 
and, in the event of her death, heir to his estates. 



1/6 History of the United States. 

England and France were now beginning to 
struggle for the possession of the New World. 
The French, following the St. Lawrence River 
and the Great Lakes, had claimed for France all 
the country south of those waters and west of the 
Alleghanies. They had found how rich the Ohio 
country was, and by making friends with the 
Indians, and by building a chain of forts, they 
expected to make good their claim. Virginia, also, 
claimed most of this territory, saying that her 
charter gave her all the country as far as the 
Pacific Ocean. Pennsylvania claimed part of it as 
a gift of King Charles to William Penn. Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut, and New York, also had 
claims under their charters. 

English settlers had made homes near the Alle- 
ghanies; others had gone around the mountains 
by passing through western New York. These 
English settlers had no intention of living under 
French rule on land which they believed to be 
English by right. 

Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia sent a mes- 
senger to the French to warn them not to trespass 
on Virginia land ; but the messenger was afraid 
not only of the French but also of the Indians, 
and turned back before he had come within a 
hundred miles of the French forts. 

The governor had to look for some bolder man. 
He chose George Washington, who had lately been 



George Washington, 



177 



appointed a major in the mihtia. The governor 
may have asked advice of Lord Fairfax, but it was 
the faithfuhiess and energy of the young surveyor 
that caused him to be chosen for this important 
service. 

Washington was not 
quite twenty-two when 
he set out on this peril- 
ous journey. He had 
as companions a skilled 
backwoodsman, an old 
Dutch soldier, and some 
attendants. It was nec- 
essary to go about five 
hundred miles through 
forests, over mountains, 
and across rivers and 
streams, for there were 
no roads, except narrow 
Indian trails which often 
were lost in the wilder- 
ness. 

In due time the letter of the governor was deliv- 
ered to the French commander. Of course the 
Frenchman had no intention of giving up his forts or 
the country to the English. But he wrote a polite 
reply, and, while he was doing this, Washington 
sketched the fort, and learned all he could about its 
strength, its supplies, and the number of soldiers in it. 




Route of Braddock's Expedition. 



178 History of the United States. 

The journey back was more exciting than the 
journey out. Washington and Gist, one of his 
companions, went on ahead of the rest with an 
Indian guide. The guide proved treacherous. They 
caught him in the act of firing on them, and Gist 
would have shot him, but Washington would not 
consent, and he was allowed to escape. 

Their horses gave out and w^ere left behind, and 
Washington and Gist went on afoot. The weather 
was bitterly cold, for it was now the middle of a 
stormy December. When they reached the Alle- 
ghany River they had to make a raft in order to 
get across. As Washington was trying to push the 
raft through the water his pole was struck by a cake 
of ice and he fell into the river, which w^as full of 
floating ice. The water was deep, but the two men 
managed to reach an island, on which they spent the 
night with their clothes frozen stiff. 

In the morning they walked to the shore on the 
ice. They reached the settlements in safety, told 
their story, and delivered the French commander's 
letter. 

It was now clear that the French intended to 
stay where they were. In^the following spring, the 
governor sent out a small force, over which Wash- 
ington was second in command. On this expedi- 
tion, a few French soldiers were surprised, and some 
of them were taken prisoners. By the death of his 
superior officer, Washington came to be in com- 



George Washington 



179 



mand, and built a small fort, which he named Fort 
Necessity. 

Here he was compelled to await an attack by the 
French. His force was largely outnumbered by 
the attacking party, his supply of powder and shot 





British Footguard, 1745. 

From Grant's "British Battles.' 



French Soldier. 

After a watercolor sketch in the Mas- 
sachusetts Archives. Coat red, faced 
blue, breeches blue 



was nearly gone, and when the French offered to 
make terms he felt obliged to yield. The French 
said that if the English would leave the country 
and promise not to come back for a year they 
might go. Washington was only too glad to accept 
these honorable terms. 



/ 



i8o History of the United States. 

By the next year England had conchided to 
attack the French in earnest, and sent out forces 
to join with the colonial troops in making a grand 
effort to conquer the French. 

A part of the plan was to attack the French 
forts in the Ohio country. The oihcer in com- 
mand of this expedition was General Edward Brad- 
dock. He was a brave man, but he knew nothing 
about fighting in the forests of America. He 
thought that the French and Indians should be 
fought as men fought in Europe. Franklin, in 
Philadelphia, warned him against surprises and 
the Indian's way of fighting, but Braddock said 
to himself : " What can a plain citizen like Frank- 
lin tell an old soldier like me about fighting ? " 

Braddock heard of Washington's skill and experi- 
ence, and offered him a position on his staff, which 
was gladly accepted. The march was made slowly, 
but with safety, until the troops came within a few 
miles of Fort Duquesne, which the French had 
built. Suddenly, musket shots were heard in front, 
and yells and Indian war-whoops startled the British 
troops. 

Washington begged Braddock to order his sol- 
diers into the woods, so that each man might get 
behind a tree, and thus fight the Indians in their 
own fashion. Braddock refused, for that was not, 
in his opinion, the right way to fight. 

The troops were soon panic-stricken by the 



George Washington. 



i8 



shots and yells of an almost unseen foe ; Brad- 
dock was mortally wounded, and his men fled in 
the wildest confusion. If it had not been for Wash- 
ington and the Virginia militia, which the British 
general had thought almost beneath contempt, the 
rout would have been still worse. 

Washinoton, durinor the fio^ht, did his best to 
rally the troops; he aimed and fired a cannon 




-^:t:?P>-^-^::"^ ^ 



Braddock's Field. 



himself; he was everywhere on the fatal field, ex- 
posing himself regardless of danger. He had two 
horses shot under him, and four bullets passed harm- 
lessly through his clothes. The Indians thought 
that he bore a charmed life. 

He it was who 2:athered tos^ether what was left of 
the army and conducted the retreat. Though this 
expedition was such a failure, Washington came out 



1«2 



History of the United States. 



of it with a higher reputation than ever. He was 
made commander of the Virginia forces, and for 
three years guarded the frontier of the colony. 

This expedition was only one incident' of the war. 
The conflict was also carried on in other parts of the 
country. At last England appointed General James 
Wolfe, a brave man and a skilful officer, to lead an 
expedition against Quebec, the great stronghold of 

the French. 

Quebec was commanded 
by the Marquis Montcalm, 
one of the ablest of the 
French officers. The town 
stands on a high cliff; it is 
protected on three sides 
by water ; on one side are 
high rocks which seem well- 
nigh inaccessible. 

Wolfe almost despaired 
of taking the town, but, 
hearing of a path which 
led up the cliff, he deter- 
mined to make an attempt to scale the heights. 
One dark night, he and his troops floated down 
the river with the tide, and landed at the foot of 
the cliffs. A few soldiers climbed the path ; they 
surprised and captured the French sentinel at the 
top before he could give the alarm. Soon Wolfe's 
forces were on the heights, ready for the attack. 




General James Wolfe. 

After the print in Entick's " General 
History of the Late War." 



George Washington, 



• 83 



Montcalm was amazed when he learned of Wolfe's 
feat. In the battle which followed, both generals 
were mortally wounded. As Wolfe fell, pierced by 
a shot in his breast, he heard a cry : " They run ! 
they run ! " " Who run ? " he asked. " The French," 
was the reply. " Now God be praised, I die in 
peace," he said, and died. Montcalm, struck down 




Quebec in the Eighteenth Century. 

From an old print. 



by a bullet, said to the surgeon : " How long shall 
I survive ? " " Ten or twelve hours, perhaps less," 
was the reply. " So much the better ; I shall not 
live to see the surrender of Quebec." In five days 
the town surrendered. The war dragged on, but 
France was conquered. 

In the treaty of peace (1763), France gave up 



184 History of the United States. 

to England all her possessions in America as far 
as the Mississippi, except two small islands near 
Newfoundland, to be used as fishing stations. All 
the rest of the lands which she had claimed she 
gave to Spain. 

The English colonists now could settle where 
they pleased in the Ohio country, without fear of 
an enemy except the Indians. 

When the French withdrew from the Ohio coun- 
try, Washington had the pleasure of being with 
the British forces when they took possession of 
the smoking ruins of Fort Duquesne, which now 
became Fort Pitt, and later, Pittsburg. 

Before the close of the war, Washington was 
married to a charming, wealthy young widow, 
Martha Custis. His niece died, and he came into 
possession of his brother's large estates, including 
Mount Vernon, which was henceforth his home. 
He was only twenty-seven years old, and yet he 
was one of the foremost men of Virginia, admired 
as her best soldier, and respected by all. 

Whatever Washington did he did well. He 
became the most successful planter in Virginia. 
Of course, like all other rich men in the colony, he 
had slaves, but they were contented, and he never 
sold one of them. 

As his surveys made in his youth were unques- 
tioned, so now, when his name was seen on a barrel 
or a bag of flour or on a hogshead of tobacco, every- 



George Washington. 185 

body knew that the flour or tobacco was exactly 
what it should be. 

He was fond of outdoor exercise, and he often 
went fox-hunting with his neighbors. For this 
recreation he would dress in a blue coat, scarlet 
waistcoat, buckskin breeches, and a velvet cap. 

When a youth he is said to have thrown a stone 
across the Rappahannock River, where nobody had 
done it before and nobody has done it since. He 
was six feet two inches tall, wore a number eleven 
shoe, and his gloves had to be made especially for 
him, his hands were so large. He kept his strength, 
for, when he was forty, he threw an iron bar to an 
almost incredible distance ; and when he was in the 
Revolutionary Army he once picked up the poles 
and canvas of his tent, and threw them into the 
camp wagon with ease. This was usually the work 
of two men. 



OUTLINE. 

George Washington was the son of a Virginia planter. 
He received a limited education. Became a skilled sur- 
veyor. Was sent on important missions to the French. 
Was aide to General Braddock during the French and 
Indian War. The French were defeated, and England 
gained the vast western country to the Mississippi River. 
Whatever Washington did he did well. He was strong 
and athletic. 



1 86 History of the United States. 

When and where was George Washington born? 

Describe the Virginia of those days. 

Tell the story of Washington's school days. 

Tell the story of his surveying trip in the Shenandoah Valley. 

Describe the beginning of the conflict between England and 
France in the New World. 

Tell the story of Washington's expedition to the French fort. 

Tell the story of Braddock's defeat. 

Tell the story of the capture of Quebec. 

Describe Washington's marriage, his personal character, his 
bodily strength, and personal appearance. 



THE REVOLUTION. 

During the French and Indian War the colonists 
learned how strong they were. The war also made 
them better acquainted with each other, because 
the men of the middle and eastern colonies had 
stood side by side in battle. Moreover it made 
them feel that the French territory could not have 
been won without their aid. It helped to unite the 
colonies as nothing else had been able to do. It 
showed them that they had common interests, and 
even made some of them think that they could 
get along without England. 

They laid heavy taxes upon themselves, to pay the 
expenses of their own troops, and did it willingly; 
but when England began to tax them they objected. 

They claimed that, as they were not represented 
in the English Parliament, that body had no right 
to tax them. Many of the people of England could 
have made a similar claim, for Parliament was 
elected by a small number of voters, and many 
large towns were unrepresented. But the Ameri- 
cans felt that, if their money was to be spent, they 
should have some voice in deciding what should be 
done with it. 

. 187 



I 88 History of the United States. 

There were many Englishmen who thought that 
the Americans were riorht. The EnHish grovern- 
ment, however, thought differently, and in 1765 
Padiament passed the Stamp Act, a law which 
required all law papers, all agreements, all marriage 
certificates, and many other papers, in order to be of 
any use, to be written on paper which had a certain 
value stamped upon it. These sheets of stamped 



8> 



Of\e 
Penny 





Stamps used in 1765. 



paper varied in value from one cent to sixty dollars, 
or even more. 

When the Americans heard of this plan of taxa- 
tion they were very indignant. They refused to 
buy any of the stamped paper, and no one dared to 
keep it for sale. The English government could 
not force the people to buy what they did not want, 
and so the plan failed. Parliament now thought it 
wise to repeal the law, but declared at the same 
time that it was right to tax the colonies. There 
was great joy in America and in England when the 



The Revolution. 



189 



repeal of the Stamp Act was known. The joy did 
not last long, for Parliament soon found another 
way to tax the colonists. It was said " The Ameri- 
cans are very fond of tea. They cannot grow it in 
America, and they will have to pay any tax wq 




Ttur.a.,, OQci^.j!. 1165 THE NUMB ug; 

PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL; 

AN D 

WEEKLY ADVEKTISER. 



EXP IRING: In Hopes of a RatittrectiontoLiTE again. 



□ am foriy to be 
obliged to ac- 
quaint my read- 
ers that as the 
Stamp Act is 
feared to be obligatory 
upon us after theJirjY of 
November ensumg (Tlie 
Fatal To-morrow), The 
publifherofthis paper, un- 
able to bear the Burthen, 
has thought it expedient 
to ftop awhile, m order to 



deliberate, whether any 
methods can be found to 
elude the chams forged for 
us, and efcape the infup- 
portable flavery, which it 
is hoped, froiu the laft 
reprefeiitation now made 
again ft that act, may be 
effected. Mean while I 
muft earneftly Requeft 
every individual of my 
Subfcribers, many of 
whom have been long be- 



hind Hand, that they 
would unmediately dif- 
charge their refpective 
Arrears, that I may be 
able, not only to fupport 
myfelf during the Inter- 
val, but be better prepar- 
ed to proceed again with 
this Paper whenever an 
opening for that purpofe 
appears, which I hope 
will be foon. 
WILLIAM BRADFORD. 



A Colonial Newspaper. 

A fac-simile about one-third the size of the original. 



choose to put upon it." So a tax of threepence, 
about six cents, was laid upon every pound of tea 
that should be brought into America. 

As soon as the Americans heard of this, they said, 
'' We will not drink any tea that comes from Eng- 



190 History of the United States. 

land into America." When vessels havinof tea on 
board reached Boston they were ordered back, but 
the British officers refused to let them sail. Then 
one night a party of men, dressed as Indians, went 
on board the ships, hoisted up from the holds of the 
vessels more than three hundred chests of tea, broke 
them open, and emptied the tea over the sides of the 




The Boston Tea-party. 

From an old print. 



ships into the water. This performance was called 
" The Boston Tea-party." 

When tea ships went to Philadelphia and New 
York, the captains were not allowed to put the tea on 
shore. At Charleston, South Carolina, the tea was 
landed, but was stored in damp cellars, so that it soon 
spoiled. At Annapolis, Maryland, the tea was burned. 



The Revolution. 



191 



When the king and his ministers heard of these 
acts of violence they were very angry. There were 
only two courses for them to follow, — either to 
repeal the law or to try to enforce obedience. 
Naturally the government decided upon the latter. 

Massachusetts was the most unruly colony, and 
Parliament passed several laws to punish her. 
One of the laws provided that no ships should 




Charleston in 1780, 

After a drawing by Leitch. 



enter or leave Boston Harbor until the town should 
make good the loss of the tea, and agree to obey 
the laws. Another law took away several of the 
privileges which had been giv^en to Massachusetts 
in her charter. This law was the worst of all, for, 
if Parliament could change the charter of one 
colony, it could change the charters of all, and the 
liberty which had been given them would be at the 



192 History of the United States. 

mercy of a government in which the colonists had 
no representation. Another law gave the British 
government the right to quarter troops on the 
colonists.^ 

When the news of these and other laws reached 
America, the whole country was stirred up. Meet- 
ings were held everywhere to protest against them. 

Meanwhile the people of Boston began to suffer 
from the closing of their port. Help came from all 
over the countryo Charleston, South Carolina, sent 
rice, New York sent wheat, and from other places 
came various kinds of provisions and also money. 
On the day on which the law was to go into effect 
the bells were tolled and the houses were hung with 
black. 

In Virginia, Washington presided at a meeting 
where it was resolved not to use anything British 
until the rights of the colonists were restored. In 
every one of the colonies such meetings were held, 
and similar resolutions were passed. 

Men and women wore homespun clothes, and 
rather than use anything imported from England, 
drank tea made of the leaves of raspberry or other 
plants, such as sassafras or sage. 

The British government had sent troops to Bos- 
ton, and had placed them under the command of 
General Gage, the military governor of Massachu- 

1 To quarter troops is to force the inhabitants to board soldiers in 
their families. 



The Revolution. 



193 



setts. Already the colonies felt that the cause of 
Massachusetts was the cause of all, and that it 
would be well to consult together as to what was 
best to be done. 

All the colonies, except Georgia, whose governor 
managed to prevent it, chose men to go to Phila- 
delphia to meet and con- 
sider the whole question. 
This body was called the 
Continental Congress. 
It met in Carpenters' 
Hall, September 5, 1774. 

Each colony had 
chosen some of its best 
men. Massachusetts sent 
John Adams and Samuel 
Adams ; Virginia, George 
Washington and Patrick 
Henry; New York, John 
Jay; Pennsylvania, John Dickinson; South Caro- 
lina, John Rutledge. 

The Congress prepared addresses setting forth 
clearly the position of the colonies, and threatening 
resistance if Parliament and the king did not yield. 
It also advised that no British goods should be 
imported or used. 

All this had little or no effect on the king and his 
ministers. They resolved to force the Americans 
to submit. More British troops had been sent to 




Samuel Adams. 

After the portrait by Copley, in Boston 
Museum of Fine Arts. 



194 History of the United States. 

Boston, and it needed only some slight trouble to 
bring on war. 

The course followed by the king and the major- 
ity in Parliament was opposed by some of the 
ablest English legislators, such as Edmund Burke 

and William Pitt, and also 
many English citizens, but 
without avail. 

General Gage in Boston, 
hearing that the Ameri- 
cans had been collecting 
powder, shot, and muskets 
at Concord, about twenty 
miles away, sent out se- 
cretly a force of eight 
hundred men to seize 
the supplies. The Ameri- 
cans decided to send Paul 
Revere to warn the two 
patriots, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, of the 
danger. 

Signal lanterns were hung out from the tower of 
the old North Church in Boston, to show that the 
soldiers were to cross the harbor, and soon alarm 
bells and swift riders were waking the farmers and 
minute-men.^ 

As Paul Revere galloped along the road to Con- 

^ Minute-men : so-called because they were to be ready at a minute's 
notice. 




John Hancock. 

After the portrait by Copley painted in 1774, 
in Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 



The Revolution, 



195 



the regulars are coming out. 



cord, some one called to him, " You are making too 
much noise." " You'll have noise enough before long," 
he shouted back ; ...^ .-^ 

The reQ:ulars did come 
out, and they found the 
whole country roused and 
ready for them. But noth- 
ins: was done until Lex- 
ington was reached. There 
the soldiers found a body of 
minute-men drawn up on the 
green before the meeting- 
house. The British officer 
commanded the Americans 
to disperse, but they stood 
still. Then the officer ordered 
his men to fire, and several 
of the Americans were killed, 
and others wounded. 

The soldiers marched on to 
Concord, where more Ameri- 
cans were drawn up at a 
bridge. Again there was fir- 
ing. Then the British, hav- 
ing destroyed some stores, 
started on their return, and 
all along the road from Concord to Boston they 
were fired upon by the farmers and minute-men, 
who were behind barns and houses and stone walls. 




The Minute Man. 

From the statue at Concord, Mass. 
The inscription on the pedestal 
reads: 

" Here on the 19th of April, 1775, was 
made the first forcible resistance to 
British aggression. On the opposite 
bank stood the American militia, 
here stood the invading army, and 
on this spot the first of the enemy 
fell in the War of the Revolution, 
which gave independence to these 
United States. In gratitude to God 
and in the love of freedom this 
monument was erected a.d. 1836." 



196 History of the United States, 



The battles of Lexington and Concord took place 
on the 19th of April, 1775. This was the beginning 
of the war between the colonies and the mother 
country. 

The Americans soon had an army encamped 
before Boston, shutting General Gage and his sol- 
diers within the city. He was not alarmed, for he 

did not think that the 
Yankee farmers would 
really fight ; but he soon 
saw his mistake. 

The Americans heard 
that he intended to take 
Charlestown, a village 
across the river from Bos- 
ton, and they resolved to 
prevent it. They left Cam- 




bridge in the evening of 



Paul Revere. 

After the picture by Gilbert Stuart. 



the 1 6th of June, marched 
to Charlestown, and began 
at once to throw up fortifications of earth. 

Early the next morning the British were amazed 
to find a wall of earth on the hill. Twice they tried 
to capture the works ; twice they were driven back 
with great loss of life ; a third time they were suc- 
cessful, for the powder of the Americans had given 
out, and they were forced to retire. This battle is 
known as the battle of Bunker Hill. Though the 
Americans were defeated, it showed that the colo- 



The Revolution. 



197 



nists could stand up against the regular British 
troops. The news of what had been done inspired 
hope throughout the land. When Washington 
heard of it he said " The liberties of the country 
are safe." 




— L ^ /^-^^Jl-^^ 



The Colonies in 1776: Northern Section. 

Meanwhile a second congress at Philadelphia had 
seen that there must be war, and with one voice 
appointed George Washington Commander-in-Chief 
of the army. He accepted the difficult trust. Under 
a great elm tree at Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 
3, 1775, he formally took command. His head- 



198 History of the United States. 

quarters were in the house so well known since as 
the home of the poet Longfellow. 

It was a strange looking army that Washington 
found. Supplies were scarce, most of the men were 
without uniforms, and they were wholly unused to 
military order and discipline, and were for a long 
time very unwilling to submit to necessary rules. 
They were, however, intelligent men and brave 
patriots. Out of such material as this was Wash- 
ington's army made up, but with it he forced the 
British, in March, 1776, to leave Boston. 

Washington did not rest, but marched his army 
to New York, where he knew an attack would be 
made. He reached New York in time, but was 
compelled to leave the city, as the British w^ere 
greatly superior in numbers to his forces. The 
Americans were defeated on Long Island, and 
Washington was forced to retreat across New Jersey 
toward Philadelphia. 

The retreating army was pursued by Lord Corn- 
wallis, the British general, and had not Washing- 
ton, with wise foresight, secured all the boats on 
the Delaware River for miles above and below 
Trenton, the British would have followed the 
Americans into Pennsylvania. 

In the meantime the Congress in Philadelphia 
had decided that the colonies should declare their 
independence of the mother country. On the 4th 
of July, 1776, the delegates in Congress adopted 



The Revolution, 



199 




200 History of the United States. 

the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the 
thirteen colonies free and independent. The name 
chosen for the new nation was the United States 
of America. 

Washington's retreat from New York, which 
took place about six months after independence 
had been declared, was most discouraging to the 









^MiU ■ ^ ■ ■ .. . ' . ■a.^ma.^^tma^. 



\JKUA. </tr>nfy*X. Hu^ns.'to m% lit 1^1 -/«/»«^«L;dt;irrv. 



Fac-simile of the First Two Paragraphs of the 
Declaration of Independence. 

army and to the whole country. Washington saw 
that something must be done. He did not dare to 
attack the whole British army, for it was very much 
larger than his own. He resolved to attack part of 
it. Trenton was held by Hessians, German troops 
whom the En^'lish had hired to fiorht for them. 
They were having a good time on Christmas night, 



The Revolution. 



20I 



1776. It was stormy, but that was just what Wash- 
ington wished for. He had secretly collected a 
number of boats, and before the Hessians dreamed 
of what was coming, he crossed the river, seized 
the town, took a thousand prisoners, and returned 
to Pennsylvania. 

A few days later, he again crossed the river, and 
had a skirmish with Cornwallis, who had been 




Table and Chair used at the signing of the Declaration of 
Independence. 

In Independence Hall, Philadelphia. 

sent to attack him. The night following, Wash- 
ington left his camp-fires burning, slipped past Corn- 
wallis, and hastily marched upon Princeton. The 
first that Cornwallis knew of Washington's where- 
abouts was the booming of cannon behind him. 
Of course, Cornwallis had to follow to protect his 
supplies, and soon most of New Jersey was regained 
by the Americans. 



20 2 History of the United States. 

This was Washington's great campaign. It was 
fought against great odds, and had it not been 
successful, there is every reason to beheve that the 
Revolution would have failed. 

The British next cast their eyes upon Philadel- 
phia, but, being unwilling to meet Washington in 
New Jersey, they sent their army ar®und by sea to 




Valley Forge. 

Washington and Lafayette visiting the suffering army. After the painting by A. Gibert. 

Chesapeake Bay. The troops were disembarked at 
Elkton, near the head of the bay, and marched 
toward Philadelphia. 

Washington fought two battles to keep the city 
from falling into the enemy's hands, but was de- 
feated, and Philadelphia was taken. 

The winter of 1777-78, a bitterly cold one, was 



The Revolution. 



203 



spent by Washington's army at Valley Forge on 
the Schuylkill River, about twenty miles from Phil- 
adelphia. The army suffered terribly from cold, 
hunger, and want of supplies, but Washington did 
not despair. 



\ \ Charlntt,.svine*,Montioellr,V\o7 r 




The Colonies in 1776: Southern Section. 

While he had been fiohtino: one armv near Phila- 
delphia, another British army under Burgoyne was 
marching down from Canada. At Saratoga it was 
beaten by the Americans under General Gates, and 
Burgoyne and his army were made prisoners of war. 

This great victory made the European nations 



204 History of the United States. 

believe that the colonists were going to succeed after 
all. Benjamin Franklin, before this, had been sent 
to France to try to get the French king to help the 
United States. French money had already been 
sent secretly, but it was not until after the victory at 
Saratoga that the French government made a treaty 
with the new nation, and agreed openly to help the 
United States in the struggle against England. 

The British army soon left Philadelphia, for it was 
feared that a French fleet might take New York, 
which, as a better seaport, was of great value to the 
English. The winter spent in Philadelphia had not 
made the troops better soldiers, for, while the poor 
fellows in the American army at Valley Forge had 
been suffering from hunger and cold, the British 
officers had been having a round of balls and amuse- 
ments, and the soldiers, for the most part, had had 
little fio-htino- to do. Dr. Franklin said, " The British 
have not taken Philadelphia, but the Philadelphians 
have taken the British." Washington quickly fol- 
lowed the enemy, and the armies were soon very 
nearly in the positions they had held two years 
before. 

The United States had a very small navy, but the 
ofificers and crews were brave and skilful. John Paul 
Jones was the most celebrated of these officers. On 
one expedition he sailed through the Irish Channel, 
and in less than a month, destroyed four vessels, 
seized a fort at Whitehaven, and burned the ship- 



The Revolution. 



205 




ping in the harbor. He also captured a prize, and 
took it with him to France. 

At another time, off Flamborough Head, on the 
eastern coast of England, his ship Lc Bonhomine 
Richard, fought the British ship Serapis. The two 
vessels came so close to each other, that Jones 
lashed them together. A desperate conflict took 
place. The Richard was so 
much injured that the Eng- 
lish captain called out " Have 
you struck? " Jones shouted 
back, " I have not yet begun 
to fight." The Serapis sur- 
rendered, but Jones's vessel 
was so injured that he trans- 
ferred to the prize everything 
that was possible. He had 
hardly done this when the 
Bonhomme Richard sank. 
These are only some of the 
exploits of John Paul Jones. 

Most of the naval warfare was carried on by priv- 
ateers, that is to say, private vessels licensed to 
make war on an enemy. There were several hun- 
dred of these American privateers, and the damage 
that they inflicted on British commerce was very 
great. 

The war dragged on. The English nation was 
getting tired of a war of which so many of their 



1^ 



Paul Jones. 

After the etching by A. Varen. 



2o6 History of the United States. 




people disapproved, and in which there seemed Uttle 
prospect of final success. On the other hand, the 
American army was so poorly supplied with food, 
clothing, and arms, that Washington had a hard 
time to keep his men together. 

Congress failed to provide money with which to 
buy supplies. Robert Morris, a patriotic citizen of 
Pennsylvania, and a few others, helped greatly in 
this trying time, by borrowing money to support the 

starving troops. But for 
this and the personal influ- 
ence of Washincjton over 



his army and oflicers, the 
American army might have 
disbanded. 

About this time came an 
event which caused much 
uneasiness among the Amer- 
icans. This was the treason of Benedict Arnold. 
Arnold had taken an active and helpful part in an 
expedition against Canada, and had fought bravely 
at Saratoga, where he was severely wounded. In 
1778 he was placed in command at Philadelphia. 
While in that city he married the daughter of a 
Tory, as those who sympathized with England were 
called. He lived extravagantly and ran into debt; 
he was accused of using the funds of the army. 
He was tried and sentenced to be reprimanded by 
Washington. Washington did this as mildly as 



Device printed in Franklin's " Pennsyl 
vania Gazette," 1754. 



The Revolution. 207 

possible, and afterward gave him the command of 
West Point, a fort which controlled the Hudson. 
But Arnold's pride was touched. He opened corre- 
spondence with Clinton, the British general in New 
York, and agreed to surrender the fort to the 
British. Major Andre, Clinton's agent in this 
business, was captured while on his way back to 
New York, and papers in Arnold's handwriting 
were found upon his person. The plot was dis- 
covered ; Andre was tried by courtmartial, and was 
hanged as a spy. Arnold heard of Andre's capture 
in time to escape. He was rewarded by the British 
with money and the rank of brigadier-general. He 
fought against his countrymen, and at the end of 
the war went to England, but was everywhere re- 
garded with contempt. 

In the south, the English had an army so much 
stronger than the American forces, that, notwith- 
standing the skill and bravery of such ofhcers as 
Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pick- 
ens, and William Washington, the Carolinas fell 
under British control. Aorainst WashiuQ^ton's 
advice. Congress sent General Gates to command 
the American army. Gates met Cornwallis at Cam- 
den, South Carolina, and was very badly defeated. 
Thinking all was lost, he jumped on his horse, and 
never stopped in his flight until he had left the 
battle-field seventy miles behind him. 

Congress now was willing to take the advice of 



2o8 History of the United States. 



Washington, and, in accordance with his sugges- 
tion, General Nathanael Greene was sent to take 
the place of Gates. Greene was the best officer, 
next to Washington, in the Continental army. 
Greene did not fight much, for his forces were weak, 
but he managed to get the British army into such 
an awkward situation that Cornwallis found it best 

to leave the Carolinas; 
so he marched into Vir- 
ginia, and encamped on 
the peninsula of York- 
town. 

Washington now saw 
that the time had come 
to make a great effort. 
He therefore left the 
neighborhood of New 
York, with all the troops 

General Nathanael Greene. that he COuld mustcr 

From the painting by Charles WiUson Peale, aud SCCrCtly aud haStlly 

'^^^' marched across New Jer- 

sey, Pennsylvania, and Delaw^are, to Elkton, Mary- 
land. From this place he sent the greater part of 
his troops by water to York River, Virginia. He 
himself hurried thither by land, halting for two days 
at his beloved Mount Vernon, which he had not 
seen for six years. 

Washington had persuaded the commander of 
the French fleet to help the American army. Thus, 




The Revolution. 



209 




21 o History of the United States. 

shut in by sea and by land, CornwaUis was com- 
pelled to surrender to the combined French and 
American forces. It was a great victory, and every 
one felt that it decided the war. 

Though it was two years before peace was 
declared, no battle of importance was fought after 
York town. The thirteen colonies had won their 




The State-house. Annapolis. 

From Scharf's "History of Maryland." 

independence, and were recognized by the mother 
country as the United States of America. 

On the 20th of December, 1783, Washington 
went to Annapolis, Maryland, where the Continen- 
tal Congress was in session, to resign his commis- 
sion as Commander-in-Chief of the American army. 
There, in the hall of the old state-house, a building 
which is still standing, he laid down the charge 
he had accepted more than eight years before at 
Philadelphia. 



The Revolution. 2 1 i 

He said in his short address, " Having finished 
the work assigned me, and bidding an affection- 
ate farewell to this august body, under whose order 
I have acted, I here offer my commission and take 
leave of all employments of public life." He has- 
tened to Mount Vernon, and again became a Virginia 
planter. But his fellow-citizens did not let him 
remain long in the quiet of home life. 

Shortly before the end of the Revolutionary War 
the states of the Union entered into an agreement 
and adopted a set of rules known as the " Articles 
of Confederation." These rules were intended to 
govern the country, but they were faulty because 
they did not give Congress any power to enforce 
the laws. As Congress could not make people 
pay their taxes, it soon had no money to pay the 
debts of the nation, or even the regular expenses of 
the government. It could not make treaties with 
foreign nations, because it could not carry them out 
after they were made. It could not keep up an 
army or a navy, for it could not raise money to pay 
the men, or to build vessels. 

Each of the states wished to do as it pleased 
without regard to the others, and there was but 
little national feeling. Congress could only ask 
the states to supply money, and if any state did not 
wish to do so. Congress was helpless. The nation 
was in danger of being despised at home and ridi- 
culed abroad. It was clear that something must be 



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From " Monuments of Washington's Patriotism." 
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A Facsimile of Washington's Accounts kept durinc; the Rex'olutio.n 

From " Monuments of Washington's Patriotism." 
213 



2 14 History of the United States. 

done if the United States was to become a strone 
nation or even to keep its independence. 

At length, in 1787, the states chose a number of 
their wisest men, among them George Washington, 
Benjamin FrankHn, Alexander Hamilton, and James 
Madison, to frame some better form of government 
which could enforce its laws and be truly national. 

After four months, they drew up the Constitution 
of the United States of America. In the course of 
a year, eleven of the states had adopted it, and it 
became necessary to choose a President. There 
was one man to whom all eyes turned, George Wash- 
ington, and he was chosen unanimously. John 
Adams was chosen Vice-President. 

New York City was the place at which Congress 
was sitting, and as there were no railroads or steam- 
boats or telegraph in those days, a special mes- 
senger was sent to tell Washington that he had been 
elected the first President of the United States. 

All the way from Mount Vernon, the roads along 
which Washington travelled were lined with people 
to see him and to cheer him as he passed. In 
every village, men and women from the farms and 
workshops crowded the streets to watch for his car- 
riage ; and the ringing of bells and firing of guns 
marked his comino^ and Qroine. 

Citizens of Baltimore went out to meet him and 
escort him into the city, while booming of cannon 
welcomed him. The governor of Pennsylvania, 



The Revolution. 



215 



with soldiers and citizens, met him at the state Hne 
and escorted him to Philadelphia. 

At Trenton, there was a grand arch of triumph, 




^Y' 



1 






,i, 




Steuben. Gov. A. St. Clair. Sec'y S. A. Otis. Roger Slierinaii. Gov. E. Clinton. 

Chancellor R. R, Livingston. John Adams Gen. Henry Knox 

George Washington. 

Washington taking the Oath as Preshjent, April 30, 1789. 

and young girls went before him, strewing flowers in 
his path, and singing songs of welcome. When he 
reached Elizabethtown, he embarked in a barge 
manned by thirteen master-pilots dressed in white, 
and was rowed by them to New York. He entered 



21 6 History of the United States. 

the city to the sound of music, sakites of artillery, 
and ten thousand shouts of welcome. 

On the 30th of April, 1789, he took the oath of 
office on the balcony of Federal Hall, in the pres- 
ence of a great multitude. The new government 
had begun. 

Washington was reelected in 1792. He died in 
1799; it was well said of him that he was " first in 
war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his fel- 
low-countrymen." 

OUTLINE. 

The English colonists learned their own strength dur- 
ing the French and Indian War. They were not repre- 
sented in the Enghsh Parliament, and objected to taxation 
without representation. ParUament passed in 1765 the 
Stamp Act. But it could not be enforced. The act was 
repealed and a tax on tea imposed. Colonists refused to 
receive tea or to pay the tax. Parliament passed several 
acts to punish Massachusetts. The people all over the 
country sided with Massachusetts. 

The action of the British brought on an appeal to 
arms. Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief. 
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of In- 
dependence, July 4, 1776. After eight years of warfare, 
the British acknowledged the independence of the colonies. 
Washington resigned his commission 1783. The states 
had adopted an agreement by which the country was to 
be ruled, but it gave Congress no power to enforce its laws. 
A convention drew up the Constitution which was adopted. 




The United States after the Revolution. 
217 



21 8 History of the United States. 

George Washington was unanimously chosen the first 
president. The new government began on the 30th of 
April, 1789. Washington died 1799. 

What did the colonists learn from the French and Indian War? 

Why did they claim that Parliament had no right to tax them? 

What was the Stamp Act? 

Tell the story of the attempt to collect a tax upon tea. 

Tell the story of Paul Revere, and of Concord and Lexington. 

Describe the battle of Bunker Hill. 

Describe Washington's campaign in the neighborhood of Bos- 
ton ; New York. 

Tell about the Declaration of Independence. 

Tell the story of the surprise of Trenton ; of the New Jersey 
campaign. 

Describe the winter at Valley Forge. 

What induced France to help the Americans? 

Tell the story of John Paul Jones. 

Describe the treachery of Arnold. 

Tell the story of the war in the south ; of the surrender of 
Cornwallis. 

Why were the Articles of Confederation unsatisfactory? 

How was the Constitution framed? 

Who was the first president ? 

Tell the story of Washington's journey to New York. 

When did he take the oath of office? 

When did he die ? 



DANIEL BOONE. 

The English had gained Canada and all the 
country between the Alleghanies and the Missis- 
sippi River as a result of the great war with the 
French. It was a wild country. Numerous bands 
of Indians roamed from place to place in search of 
game. There were buffaloes, elks, deer, and wild 
turkeys. Among the wild animals to be dreaded 
were bears, wolves, panthers, rattlesnakes, and cop- 
perheads. 

There were vast forests tano-led with underbrush 
and thickets. The Indians claimed the land, but 
the greater part of it was used as hunting grounds 
by several tribes, and no one tribe could properly 
say that the land was its own. 

Up to 1763, the year in which peace was made 
between England and France, very few Englishmen 
had been in this western country. The land south 
of the Ohio River was almost an unknown wilder- 
ness. One of the first to cross the mountain rido^es 
which were the western boundary of the Atlantic 
settlements was Daniel Boone. 

Daniel Boone was born in Bucks County, Penn- 
sylvania, in 1734. His parents lived on the bank 

219 



2 20 History of th:^ United States. 



of the Delaware River, in that part of Pennsylvania 
which was still a wilderness. When the country 
became more settled, and while Daniel was a small 
boy, they moved to the valley of the Yadkin River in 
North Carolina, on the outer edge of the settlements. 
Daniel grew up to be a thorough backwoods- 
man. He became skilful with his rifie ; he learned 

the secrets of backwoods life, 
and, with a wonderful accur- 
acy, he could follow the trail 
of man or animal. No one 
could plough, hoe, or chop 
down trees better than he; 
and, like almost every active, 
able frontiersman, he could 
survey. 

For more than sixty years 
he was almost continually on 
the frontier. He had very 
little school-education, and 
he never learned to spell. 
Part of an old beech tree was shown at the Columbian 
Exposition, in 1893, on which could still be traced 
" D. Boon cilled a bar on tree in the 
^ Like many others at that time, he 
did not spell even his own name always in the 
same way. 

There were many backwoodsmen as skilful as 

^ D. Boon killed a bear on (this) tree in the year 1760. 




Daniel Boone. 

After the painting by C. Harding. 



the words : 
year 1760.' 



Daniel Boone. 221 

Boone ; there were many who passed through as 
surprising adventures ; but, among men who often 
gave way to intemperance, he was always sober; he 
was patient, enduring, brave, daring when occasion 
called for it, but prudent, and always modest. He 
inspired confidence, and for this reason he was 
employed on many enterprises. 

He was able to make his skill and knowledge of 
advantage to others. He said he was an instru- 
ment ordained of God to settle the wilderness. He 
had made a number of excursions into the lands 
west of North Carolina, and had been greatly pleased 
by the beautiful country and by the abundance of 
game. 

On the 1st of May, 176Q, Boone, with five com- 
panions, started from the Yadkin valley to " wander 
through the wilderness of America in quest of the 
country of Kentucky." 

In about six weeks they reached the place for 
which they had set out. It more than satisfied 
their hopes. The country was full of game, and for 
six months they enjoyed such hunting as they never 
had known before. 

In December they were attacked by Indians, and 
Boone and one of his companions, named Stewart, 
were captured. Showing as little anxiety or fear as 
possible, they watched for a chance to escape, and 
one night, after a feast, when the Indians were 
asleep, Boone and Stewart succeeded in getting 



222 History of the United States. 

away. When they reached their old camp they 
found it deserted, and with no trace of their former 
companions. 

Fortunately they soon fell in with two men who 
had come from North Carolina, partly to search for 
them, and partly to explore on their own account. 
One of these men was " Squire " Boone, Daniel's 
brother. Stewart was surprised and shot by an 
Indian, and the comrade of "Squire" Boone became 
so frightened that he returned home, leaving the 
two brothers. They spent the winter in a wilder- 
ness where there was no other white man, and 
then " Squire " Boone went back to the settled 
country for supplies. 

For several months Daniel Boone was entirely 
alone in the great forest. He lived as the Indian 
hunters lived. Day after day he carefully went 
over the country, exploring it and gaining much 
knowledge which served him well afterward. 

All the time he had to keep the closest watch for 
the Indians. Once he happened to look back, and 
was startled to see some Indians following him. 
He soon perceived that they had not seen him, but 
were only following his trail. 

He kept on, but though he went first this way 
and then that way, hoping to deceive them, he 
found that they were still on the trail. 

Just as he was wondering what was best to do, 
he came across a huge grape-vine hanging from the 



Daniel Boone. 223 

hio^her branches of a tree. Boone had often swuns^ 
in grape-vines when a boy, and a bright thought 
struck him. He quickly cut off the vine not far 
from the ground, and then grasping it firmly 
gave himself a good swing and jumped into the 
air. As soon as he came to the ground he ran 
off in a direction quite different from that in which 
he had been going. When the Indians came up 
they could find no trace of his footsteps, and after 
a while they gave up the search. 

The Indians wore soft moccasins, which made no 
noise ; they could go through the forest without a 
sound and would slip from tree to tree until they 
were near enough to shoot their unsuspecting 
enemy. They would imitate the cries of animals, 
and particularly the gobble of the wild turkey. The 
unwary hunter, who longed for a good supper or 
breakfast, would follow the noise until he was 
wdthin reach of the Indian's rifle, w^hen he would 
be shot dow^n. 

Boone and many of his later companions soon 
learned to know the cries of the animals so w^ell 
that they could not be deceived. They also learned 
to surpass the Indian in his own woodcraft; the In- 
dians feared them as much as they feared the Indians. 

Others had been in Kentucky before, but to 
Daniel Boone must be given the credit of leading 
the first band of permanent settlers into that beau- 
tiful country. 



2 24 History of the United States. 

This undertaking was full of risk. It was very 
different from the settlement of the Atlantic colo- 
nies, which were gradually pushed farther and 
farther into the wilderness. Kentucky was in the 
midst of the forests, and two hundred miles from 
the nearest settlements. 




Boone's Trail, 



The Indian title to the country between the 
Kentucky and Cumberland rivers was bought of 
the Indians, in 1775, by a land company, and 
Daniel Boone was chosen to begin a settlement. 

With thirty men he started, March 10, 1775, 
from a point in East Tennessee near the present 
boundary of North Carolina. For two hundred 
miles they cut a path through the woods. It went 
through the Cumberland Gap, across rivers and 
streams which had to be forded, as there were no 



Daniel Boone. 225 

bridges. This path was known as " Boone's Trail," 
and as the " Wilderness Road." Later, tens of 
thousands of emigrants passed over this road on 
their way to the West. 

Early one morning, when Boone and his com- 
pany had almost reached the end of their journey, 
and were gathered around their camp-fires, they 
were attacked by the Indians, and two of the thirty 
were killed. The rest sprang up, seized their rifles, 
and stood ready to defend themselves. The Indians 
however, vanished as swiftly and as steathily as 
they had appeared, leaving the rest of the party 
unhurt. 

In April the party reached the Kentucky River, 
and began to build a little town or settlement, 
which they called Boonesborough. Again they were 
attacked by Indians. This time several of the set- 
tlers were killed and scalped, and some of the sur- 
vivors were so frightened that they returned to 
Carolina. But others came to take their places. 

The log cabins were built in straight lines with 
the backs of the cabins toward the forest. The 
spaces between the cabins were filled with high 
stockades ; that is to say, high fences or palisades 
made of heavy timbers driven into the ground. 
There were strong wooden gates which were shut 
at night or in time of danger. 

The houses were built of logs, and had steep 
roofs made of great clapboards. Wooden pins 



226 



History of the United States, 



served for nails. There were loopholes through 
which to watch the Indians and to fire upon them. 
The settlers cleared some land for farms, but for 
several years they lived in the stockade. It was a 
brave and hardy race that peopled the western and 
southern country. 

When the danger from the Indians became less, 
the settlers lived on their own land. The pioneer 

farmer first built 
"^'^'M. his loo: cabin, and 

, then made his 
clearing in the 
forest by burning 
the brush, cutting- 
down the small 
trees, and girdling 
the large ones.^ 

Corn was plant- 
ed among the 
stumps and dead 
trees, and it was 
a time of rejoicing when the ears were old enough 
for roasting. When the corn was harvested, the 
grains were broken into hominy, Indian fashion, 
by being pounded in a hollow, wooden block. Wild 




Boone's Fori-. 

From a drawing by Colonel Henderson in " Collins's 
Historical Collections of Kentucky." 



^ To girdle a tree is to cut a groove around the trunk quite through 
the bark. This prevents the sap from ascending, and the tree soon 
dies. The absence of foUage on the dead trees allows the sun to reach 
the corn and ripen it. 



Daniel Boone. 227 

turkeys, venison, and bear meat made a change of 
diet. In almost every home there was a spinning- 
wheel, and instead of flax the women used the beaten 
stalks of nettles. 

In 1776 and 1777 the settlers were attacked again 
and again by the Indians. One day Boone's daugh- 
ter and two other girls went in a canoe on the river; 
suddenly five Indians seized them and carried them 
off. As soon as Boone heard of this misfortune, he 
and seven men went in pursuit. 

The girls were badly frightened when captured, 
and two, including Boone's daughter, gave up to 
despair. The eldest of the three girls was sure that 
their absence would soon be noticed and their trail 
followed. So, to guide their rescuers, she broke off 
twigs as they went along. The Indians saw her 
doing this, and threatened to tomahawk her if she 
did it again. Then she tore off little bits of her 
dress and dropped them when she thought she 
could do it without beino- seen. 

o 

The Indians kept the girls apart from each other, 
and now and then made them walk in the brooks 
to hide all marks of their path. 

Boone started the very evening of the day they 
were captured, and followed their trail so accurately 
that he came up with the Indians in thirty-six 
hours. 

The Indians thought they were safe, and hav- 
ing killed a young buffalo were about to cook it. 



2 28 History of the United States. 

Boone gave no sign of his approach, but when near 
enough he and a companion levelled their rifles and 
killed two of the Indians. The three others sprang 
up and ran off, leaving guns, tomahawks, scalping 
knives, and their captives. The girls were unhurt, 
and were escorted back in safety to their homes. 

Daniel Boone himself did not always escape. At 
one time he went with some companions to get salt 
from a salt spring, or " salt-lick," as it was called, 
and while he was out hunting, alone, a party of 
about a hundred Indians came upon him, and 
though he attempted to escape by running, he was 
overtaken and captured. His captors did not hurt 
him, but adopted him into their tribe, for the 
Indians greatly admired his skill. 

Boone quietly accepted his fate, and was appar- 
ently cheerful and happy. He took part in the 
games ; he shot at a mark with the Indians, but 
was careful not to shoot so well as to excite their 
envy. He showed no anxiety to be released lest he 
might cause them to watch him more closely, for 
the Indians did not quite trust him. 

Every time he went out hunting they counted 
his balls, and when he came back they looked to 
see how much powder he had used. On one excur- 
sion he found a body of warriors plotting to attack 
Boonesborough. He now felt that he must attempt 
to escape in order to warn his friends. One day he 
went out on his morning's hunt as usual, but as soon 



Daniel Boone. 229 

as he was out of si^ht of the Indians he started off 
rapidly for Boonesborough, a hundred and sixty 
miles away. 

His path lay through forests and swamps, and 
across many rivers, among them the Ohio, which he 
crossed by means of an old canoe he found among 
the bushes on the banks. He lived upon a little 
dried venison which he had managed to hide, for 
until he crossed the Ohio he did not dare to shoot 
any game or light a fire. 

In less than five days he presented himself before 
his friends at Boonesborough. They could hardly 
believe their eyes, for all had given him up as dead. 
Even his wife believed that he must have been killed, 
and she had gone back to North Carolina. 

Some weeks afterward, a force of over four hun- 
dred Indians and a few Canadians appeared. There 
were but fifty fighting men in the stockade. After 
many attempts to get the little garrison to surren- 
der, an attack was begun ; it was kept up for nine 
days. The assailants tried to set fire to the fort ; 
they dug a mine, hoping to get under the stockade, 
but the fort was near a river, and the muddy water 
betrayed them. 

The Indians did not dare at any time to come 
very near, for the Kentuckians with their rifles 
would shoot any one who came within range. The 
women moulded the bullets, provided food, and 
helped to keep watch. 



230 



History of the United States. 



After twelve days the attacking party went away. 
The Kentuckians had two men killed, and four 
wounded, while the Indians lost ten times as 
many. 

The little party of defenders had been sparing of 
their powder and shot, but the besiegers had been 
wasteful of theirs, for Boone says, " We picked up 




Exterior. Interior. 

A Pioneer Home in Kentucky. 

one hundred and twenty-five pounds of bullets, 
besides what stuck in the logs of our fort." 

After this, Boone went to North Carolina and 
brought back his wife and those of their children 
she had taken with her. 

Daniel Boone had many other adventures and 
hairbreadth escapes. When the population in- 
creased, he moved to Missouri, about fifty miles 
west of St. Louis. This he did not only because 
game was scarce, but because he loved the freedom 
of frontier life, and wished, as he said, " more elbow- 
room." There he lived the rest of his life, dying in 
his eighty-sixth year. 



Daniel Boone. 



OUTLINE. 



231 



Up to 1763 the country west of the Alleghanies was 
almost unknown to the English settlers. Daniel Boone 
was one of the first to explore it. His first visit to Ken- 
tucky was in 1764. He found the country even more attrac- 
tive than he had expected. In 1775 he began to make a 
settlement. The settlers had much trouble from the 
Indians. Boone himself was captured, but succeeded in 
escaping. Boone was an ideal backwoodsman. He died 
in his eighty-sixth year. 

Tell the story of Daniel Boone's early life. 

Tell the story of Boone's first visit to Kentucky. 

Tell how the Indians attacked their foes. 

Tell the story of how Boone led a party of settlers into Ken- 
tucky. 

Describe how the settlers built their huts for defence. 

Describe the settlers' manner of life. 

Tell the story of the capture of Boone's daughter and her com- 
panions. 

Tell the story of Boone's own capture, and his escape ; of the 
Indian attack on the fort. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 

Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia in 1743. 
His father, Peter Jefferson, had been one of the first 
settlers of that part of the country. He was a rich 
planter, and, like Washington, a land surveyor. 
Peter Jefferson was a man of great force of charac- 
ter. He was remarkable for his physical strength. 
It was said that he could stand between two hogs- 
heads of tobacco, each weighing about a thousand 
pounds, and set them both upon end at once. 

Thomas Jefferson inherited not only his father's 
height and physical strength, but also his spirit of 
sturdy self-reliance. He was an earnest and ener- 
getic boy, putting his whole heart into whatever he 
did. Above all things he hated sham and pretence. 

At school he was so industrious that he was able 
to enter an advanced class at William and Mary 
College when he was only seventeen years old. At 
college he is said to have studied from twelve to 
fifteen hours a day. 

He was graduated at the age of nineteen ; he was 
familiar with Latin and Greek, knew some French 
and Spanish, and was skilled in mathematics. He 
was also able to write and speak clear, forcible, and 
elegant English. 

But with all his devotion to study, young Jeffer- 

232 



Thomas Jefferson. 



233 



son did not neglect his physical education. He 
excelled in every manly exercise, was a good dancer, 
and a famous rider. While at college his study 
hours gave him little time for exercise, but every 




Thomas jkfff.rson. 

After the painting by Gilbert Stuart. 



evening, at twilight, he used to run to a certain 
stone and back again, — a distance of two miles. 

After he left college he kept up his habit of hard 
work, rising at five o'clock in the morning in winter, 
and earlier in summer, so that he might have time 
for study. 



2 34 History of the United States. 

He was then six feet two inches tall ; straight as 
an arrow, with sharp features, a ruddy complexion, 
a deHcate skin, red hair and large, deep-set, hazel 
eyes. His manner was frank and cordial, full of 
sympathy and confidence. Much of his success 




Patrick Henry addressing the Virginia Assembly. 

After the painting by A. Chappel. 



was due to the buoyant, hopeful disposition which 
was his throuo"h life. 

He studied law and became a successful lawyer, 
though he was never a good speaker. In 1 765, while 
a law student at Williamsburg, then the capital of 
Virginia, he went to hear a debate on the Stamp 
Act, in the House of Burgesses. It was the day 
that Patrick Henry made his famous speech against 



Thomas Jefferson. 235 

the Act, in which he said, " Caesar had his Brutus ; 
Charles the First his Cromwell ; and George the 
Third" — Here, thinkins: that the orator was 
about to suggest the death of the king, the Speaker 
of the House and others cried out, " Treason, trea- 
son ! " As soon as there was a pause, Patrick 
Henry, fixing his eyes upon the Speaker, added, 
" And George the Third may profit by their exam- 
ple." 

Ten years later, Jefferson was a member of the 
Virginia convention. It was just before the battle 
of Lexington. Patrick Henry now made another 
famous speech, in which he said : " We must fight ! 
I repeat it, sir, we must fight ! " and ending, " As 
for me, give me liberty or give me death ! " Jeffer- 
son never forgot these scenes. 

At the age of thirty-two, Jefferson was sent as a 
deleo-ate to the Continental Cons^ress at Philadel- 
phia. A year later he was on the committee to 
draw up the Declaration of Independence, and 
that document is almost wholly his work. 

From this time until he was an old man, Jeffer- 
son was constantly in the public service. He was 
the means of putting an end to a law in Virginia 
which provided that land should be inherited only 
by the eldest son of a family. The new law allowed 
land to be divided among a man's children. 

In man}^ of the colonies there was a state church ; 
that is, a church which everybody was taxed to sup- 



236 History of the United States. 

port. Jefferson thought it very unjust that those 
who were not members of that church or of any 
church should be thus taxed. He persuaded the 
legislature of Virginia to repeal this law, so that all 
denominations should be treated alike. No state 
now taxes for church support. 

When Dr. Franklin asked to be allowed to 
return home from France, Jefferson was appointed 
his successor. " You replace Dr. Franklin, I hear," 
said the French minister to him. " I succeed 
him," replied Jefferson. " No one can replace 
him." 

Jefferson was five years in France ; then, while 
on his way back to America, he was appointed 
secretary of state by President Washington. 

On his return to his home in Virginia, his negro 
slaves were so glad to see him that they lifted him 
out of his carriage, put him on their shoulders, and 
carried him up the hill to his house. 

Jefferson was chosen Vice-President in 1796, and 
President in 1801. He was reelected in 1804, ^.nd 
so was President eight years. In 1800 the seat of 
government was changed from Philadelphia to 
Washington. 

Though Jefferson's home life was famous for its 
generous hospitality, he believed in simplicity of 
manner rather than in luxury and display. Wash- 
ington and John Adams had thought that, as the 
President was the highest officer in the land, he 



Thomas Jefferson. 237 

should observe the strictest formaHty. Wash- 
ington had driven about in a fine cream-colored 
coach, with four and sometimes six horses. No 
visitor could approach him without much ceremony. 
When Congress met, Washington drove to the Cap- 
itol with a great deal of pomp and parade, and read 
his message in person. John Adams did the same. 

Jefferson at his inauguration changed all this. 
He came to the Capitol on foot, in his ordinary 
dress, escorted by a body of militia artillery, and 
accompanied by a few of his political friends. 

He read his speech in the Senate chamber with 
little or no ceremony. When the time came for an 
annual message, he sent by a messenger a written 
copy to Congress. This example has been followed 
ever since 

At the White House, the official residence of the 
President, almost any one could see and converse 
with Jefferson. On one occasion, a foreign minister 
was received by Jefferson in a dressing-gown, and 
a pair of old slippers. Since Jefferson's day, no 
President has ventured to appear in anything but 
citizen's dress, or to introduce very much formality 
at the White House. 

When Jefferson became President in 1801, the 
western boundary of the United States was the 
Mississippi River. Spain owned Florida, the land 
around the mouth of the Mississippi, and all west of 
the river. Citizens of what was then the western 



238 History of the United States. 

part of the United States could not ship goods to 
Europe, or receive them from Europe, except 
through Spanish territory. 

While the Americans were thinkino; what was 
the best thing to do to get free navigation of the 
Mississippi, Spain transferred Louisiana, as all 
the land west of the river was called, to France. 
Jefferson desired to buy from France a tract of 
land at the mouth of the Mississippi, so that goods 
for the United States could be landed. To accom- 
plish this purpose, he sent envoys to France. 

To the surprise of the American envoys, Na- 
poleon, the ruler of France, offered to sell the whole 
of Louisiana. They accepted his offer, and secured 
the vast territory for the United States in 1803. 

This purchase doubled the national possessions, 
for it must be remembered that Louisiana then in- 
cluded all the country between the Mississippi River 
and the Rocky Mountains. The inhabitants of the 
United States could now spread westward without 
fear of a foreign enemy. 

The purchase of Louisiana was the most impor- 
tant event of Jefferson's term as President. It was 
one of the most important events in American his- 
tory. It was the first annexation to the territory of 
the United States. 

Jefferson's home was at Monticello, on the plan- 
tation which he had inherited from his father. 
Here he lived after his retirement from public life, 



Thomas JefFerson. 



239 



an object of affection to his household and to his 
neighbors, and of interest to his countrymen and 
to foreigners. Here he passed his dechning years, 
and welcomed with lavish hospitality the many who 
came to see him. 

He was a kind and considerate master to his 
slaves. He did not believe in slavery, and would 
gladly have seen it banished from the country. 




MONTICELLO. 
The North Front. 



He was much interested in education, and was 
the founder of the University of Virginia, near Char- 
lottesville. 

Jefferson was much more of a politician than 
Washington or Adams had been ; he was a good 
party manager, and was the first President who 
rewarded his political friends w4th public office. 

He lived to be an old man dying on the 4th 



240 History of the United States. 

of July, 1826, just fifty years after the Declaration 
of Independence was proclaimed. John Adams, 
the second President of the United States, died on 
the same day. These two men had done very 
much to bring about the independence of the 
United States, and they lived to see their country 
become one of the great nations of the world. 

OUTLINE. 

Thomas Jefferson was the son of a Virginia planter. 
He was born in 1743. He received a good education. He 
graduated at WiUiam and Mary College. He was a law- 
yer. He was sent to the Continental Congress and drafted 
the Declaration of Independence. He was constantly in 
public life. He was chosen Vice-President in 1796, and 
President in 1801. He believed in Democratic simpHcity. 
During his term of office Louisiana was bought from 
France. 

When and where was Thomas Jefiferson born ? 

Tell the story of his college Hfe. 

Describe his personal appearance. 

What celebrated document did he draw up? 

What ideas did he have in regard to luxury and display? 

What was the most important event of his term as President? 

Name some of his personal characteristics. 

When did he die ? 



LEWIS AND CLARK. 



Very soon after the Louisiana territory was 
turned over to the United States, President Jeffer- 
son sent out an expedition 
to explore the country, for 
it was almost unknown to 
white men. 

The party consisted of 
thirty-four men, under the 
lead of two captains, Meri- 
wether Lewis and William 
Clark. Both were from 
Virginia, and familiar with 
backwoods life. 

They set out from St. 
Louis in May, 1804. In 
order to secure the good- 
will of the Indians, they car- 
ried with them, among 
other thino^s, beads, coats, 
blankets, knives, and toma- 
hawks. 

They expected to live by hunting. Their orders 
were to follow the Missouri River to its source; to 

R 241 




Meriwether Lewis. 

After the drawing by St. Memin 
graved by Strickland. 



242 History of the United States. 

cross the Rocky Mountains, and follow the Columbia 

River to its mouth. This river had been first seen 
^ by Captain Robert Gray, of the American ship 

Columbia in 1791.^ It was explored by him for 

several miles, in the following year, and was named 

after his ship, the Columbia. 

It was a beautiful time of the year to start on 

such a journey. All vegetation was fresh and green. 

The explorers were much pleased with the country. 

There were groves of hickory, walnut and cotton- 
wood trees along ' the river, 
and there was an abundance 
of wild fruit. 

It took them all the sum- 
mer to reach the Platte 
River. Here on the bluffs, 
over the river, they held a 
great council with Indians, 
and named the place Coun- 
cil Bluffs. 

The Indians were friendly, 
and there was little trouble 
in dealing with them, be- 
cause they were treated 

fairly. They were greatly pleased with the presents 

given them. 

The party of explorers went on, following the 




William Clark. 

From Lewis and Clark's " Travels 



^ Some authorities state that it had been previously discovered by the 
Spaniards, in 1592. 



Lewis and Clark. 243 

Missouri River until late in the autumn. Then, 
having found a place where there was plenty of tim- 
ber, they encamped and began to cut down trees 
with which to build huts for their winter quarters. 

As soon as the spring opened, they started again, 
and by the latter part of April reached the mouth 
of the Yellowstone River. They climbed some 
bluffs, and saw spread before them the wide plains 
watered by the Missouri and Yellowstone. Herds 
of buffalo, deer, elk, and antelope could be seen, 
and the wooded banks and irregular windings of the 
rivers gave a pleasing variety to the picture. 

The men resumed their march, and in a few weeks 
saw a snow-covered range of mountains, stretching 
north and south as far as the eye could see. These 
they knew must be the Rocky Mountains. 

One day Captain Lewis saw a mist in the distance. 
When he came nearer he found it to be caused by 
great falls in the river. For several miles the 
Missouri rushes along over rocks and precipices, 
through canons and narrow ways, now almost lost 
to view, now coming into sight again. The boats 
had to be drawn over the ground for miles, before 
they could be launched again. Soon the explorers 
found that these boats were not at all suited for the 
stream in which they were to be used, and so others 
were built out of trees which were cut down along 
the banks of the river. 

Before many days, the bed of the river became so 



244 History of the United States. 

rocky and its current so swift that the men could 
not use the boats. To add to their discouragement, 
no Indian ofuide could be found, and it seemed im- 
possible to go on through the trackless wilderness. 

At last Captain Lewis set out alone, saying that 
he would not return until he found a guide. He 
kept on his solitary way until he came to a small 
gap in the mountains, where there was just room 




Lewis and Clark's Route. 



enough between the river and the cliff for an Indian 
trail. This he followed. 

After suffering many hardships. Captain Lewis 
reached an Indian village. The inhabitants could 
not believe that he had crossed the mountains alone. 
At length some of the Indians went back with him, 
and, finding his story true, furnished guides and 
horses for his party. 



Lewis and Clark. 245 

The march was a difficult one ; sometimes the 
little company could go only five miles in a whole 
day. The path was often stony ; sometimes it led 
along steep precipices ; sometimes through wild 
canons. It was so difficult to find food that they 
ate their broken-down horses. 

Though the men were ragged, weary, footsore, 
and half-starved, they kept on. After a while they 
reached a river on which, their guides told them, 
it would be safe to embark. So they built new 
canoes, and began to descend the stream. As they 
journeyed they came to a larger river, which they 
called the Lewis ; and another river which joined 
farther on, they called the Clark. Then they floated 
into the Columbia itself. 

They were delighted with the beautiful scenery and 
the charming country through which they passed. It 
took them a long time to descend the great river, but 
the day of success came to them at last. 

It was a rainy, foggy morning in the autumn ; 
they could see only a short distance around them ; 
once they stopped to get some food at an Indian 
village on an island in the river. They started 
again, and had not gone far from this village when 
the fog lifted, and they " enjoyed the delightful 
prospect of the ocean — that ocean, the object of all 
their labors, the reward of all their anxieties." Soon 
they heard the roaring of the breakers, and their 
joy was complete. 



^-. 



246 History of the United States. 

It was now November, and far too late in the 
season for them to think of crossing the mountains 
again. So they chose a place in which to spend the 
winter, and made ready for their stay. 

During the winter they learned all that they 
could about the country ; its minerals, trees, shrubs, 
flowers, fruits, animals, fishes, birds, and even its 
insects. 

They found out how the Indians lived, what fish 
and animals they caught, and what furs they had to 
exchange. They wrote in a journal their adven- 
tures and what they had learned, and it has made a 
very interesting book. 

They began their return journey in March, 1806, 
and in the following September, two years and 
four months after they had set out, they reached 
St. Louis. 

They had explored a large part of the Louisiana 
territory, and had also discovered and explored a 
great region beyond the Rocky Mountains. In 
doing this they had helped the United States to 
gain a title to a vast territory. 

What they had to tell and what they had to show 
created great wonder and interest. The knowledge 
of their discovery spread over the land, and it was 
soon understood that Louisiana was a far greater 
acquisition than any one had ever imagined. 



Lewis and Clark. 247 



OUTLINE. 

President Jefferson, in 1804, sent Captains Lewis and 
Clark to explore the territory of the Louisiana purchase. 
They had many adventures. They discovered the Colum- 
bia River and followed it to its mouth. The whole journey 
took nearly two years and a half. 

For what purpose did President Jefferson send out Lewis and 
Clark ? 

Tell the story of their journey to the Yellowstone River. 
Tell the story of their journey to the Columbia River. 
Describe their first sight of the Pacific. 
Of what value was their journey? 



ZEBULON M. PIKE. 



While Lewis and Clark were exploring the coun- 
try to the north, President Jefferson sent Lieuten- 
ant Zebulon Pike to find out 
the direction, the extent, and 
the character of the Red 
River and the Arkansas. 
He was also, if possible, to 
establish friendly relations 
with the Indians. 

Lieutenant Pike and his 
party of twenty-four men 
set out from St. Louis in 
July, 1806. They went in 
boats up the Osage River to 
some Indian villages, where 
they secured horses, and 
then began their long overland journey. 

On reaching the Arkansas River, the company 
divided, part following down the river to the Mis- 
sissippi, w^iile Pike and the others went up the 
stream to discover its source. 

For about a month they ascended the river. 
Now they found the stream very small, and Pike, 
to gain some idea of the country, climbed a high 

248 




Z. M. Pike. 

From an engraving by Gimbrede, in 
" The Analectic Magazine." 



Zebulon M. Pike. 



249 




Pike's Peak. 

From the Garden of the Gods. 



250 History of the United States. 

mountain which has since fitly borne his name, 
" Pike's Peak." 

Like every one who has since stood on that peak, 
he was deeply impressed with the wonderful pros- 
pect spread out before him. There was the river 
winding along until it was lost in the horizon. 
There were the great plains, where thousands of 
buffaloes were roving. The air was so clear that 
he could see a great distance in every direction. 

Winter now came on, the streams were all frozen, 
and the trails were covered with snow. Pike and 
his companions went hither and thither, not know- 
ing which way to tarn; but, in spite of being almost 
starved and half-frozen, they never lost heart. At 
last Pike thought that they could not be very far 
from the Spanish town of Santa Fe. One of the 
company volunteered to try to find it, and started 
off. The others awaited the result. 

One day, while Pike was out hunting for game, 
he was greatly surprised to see two Spaniards come 
riding up to him. They told him that he was 
within two days' journey of Santa Fe, where his 
comrade had already arrived. 

Pike took the Spaniards to his camp without 
any distrust, and treated them kindly. A few days 
later a body of Spanish cavalry rode up, and took 
Pike and his companions prisoners, informing them 
that they were on Spanish territory, and would have 
to explain their presence. 



Zebulon M. Pike. 



251 



The little body of Americans presented a sorry 
appearance. Pike was wearing blue trousers, moc- 
casins, a blanket coat, and a scarlet cap lined with 
a fox skin. There was not a hat in the whole com- 
pany, and the men had on well-worn shabby leather 
leggins, coats, and breech-cloths. 

The Spaniards finally became satisfied that Pike 
had no wish to injure Spain, or to trespass on her 




Pike's Route. 

territory, and said that he and his men might return 
to the United States. They were, however, for- 
bidden to go back the way that they had come, and 
were sent home throuo-h Texas. 

While they were at Santa Fe, Pike was told by an 
American who was living there that he had found 
gold along the Platte River. This was then thought 
to be an idle story, but many years after, gold was 
discovered where the old hunter said he had found it. 



252 History of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

While Lewis and Clark were to explore the north, 
Lieutenant Pike and his party were sent to explore the 
south. He discovered Pike's Peak. They were captured 
by the Spaniards, but finally released. 

For what purpose was Lieutenant Pike sent out? 
Tell the story of his journey. 



EARLY INVENTORS, — JOHN FITCH, ROBERT 

FULTON, ELI WHITNEY. 

« 

Long before a successful steamboat was built, 
men had thought that steam could be used to pro- 
pel boats through water. 

One man proposed that steam should be used to 
move a paddle, shaped somewhat like a duck's foot, 
which would send the boat forward. 

Two men, about the same time, one in France, 
and James Rumsey in Virginia, thought that if 
water was sucked in from the bow of a vessel, and 
forced out at the stern, the boat would be pushed 
forward. Rumsey tried this plan, and succeeded in 
making a boat go at the rate of four miles an hour. 

Neither the duck's foot nor the suction plan, how- 
ever, worked well enough to come into practical use. 

Meanwhile there was a man who thouoht of a 
still better plan ; this was John Fitch. He was 
born in Connecticut in 1743; he was fond of books 
when a boy, but had little chance to study, for he 
was allowed to attend school only a few weeks in 
the year. When eleven years old he wished very 
much to have a geography. His father would not give 
him one, but allowed him to raise enough potatoes 
to pay for the book. 

253 



254 History of the United States. 

When he was older, he became a watch and clock- 
maker; then a button-maker; then a silversmith. 
He was in the Revolutionary army at V^alley Forge. 
He afterward went to Kentucky and became a land 
surveyor. 

Once he started from Pittsburg on a flat-boat to 
go to New Orleans ; but, before he had reached the 
Mississippi, he and most of his companions were 
captured by the Indians. The prisoners were 
forced to carry their own cargo to the Indian villages, 
Fitch was compelled to run the gantlet, and was 
used cruelly in other ways. 

His skill in making ornaments soon procured for 
him kindly treatment; after some months, he was 
ransomed by a British officer at Detroit. By indus- 
try he earned enough to pay for his ransom from the 
Indians ; and after a long time he was exchanged as 
a prisoner of war. 

There came into his mind the idea of a boat that 
could be moved by steam, and from that time until 
his death, he had this subject almost continually in 
his thoughts. 

After many difficulties, he had a boat built on 
the Delaware River. Instead of paddle-wheels, there 
were, on each side of the boat, six oars which were 
moved by a small engine. 

This steamboat he called the Perseverance. 
It went at the rate of about seven miles an hour. 
On the twelfth of October, 1788, it steamed from 



Early Inventors. 



25s 




Philadelphia to Burlington, twenty miles, in three 
hours. This short voyage by steamer was the first 
in history. The 
working of this P^^i 
boat was so ex- 
pensive that the 
Perseverance 
failed to make 
good her name. 
Fitch visited 

Europe to see what he could do there, but was 
unsuccessful in accomplishing anything. He re- 
turned to America, and went to Kentucky, where 

he died in 1796. He 
used to say that the time 



" Perseverance." 

John Fitch's first steamboat, as seen on the Delaware in 
1787; speed seven miles an hour. 




would come when steam- 
boats would sail reor- 
ularly on the rivers, and 
would cross the Atlantic 
Ocean, but he was laus^hed 
at and thought to be an 
idle dreamer. 

Another American was 
more fortunate than Fitch 
had been. This was Robert 
Fulton, the son of an Irish 
tailor, who Hved near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 
Robert Fulton was born in 1765. He was not 
fond of study when a boy, but he had a very in- 



RoBERT Fulton. 

From D. C. Colden's " Life of Fulton. 



256 History of the United States. 

ventive mind and was continually making experi- 
ments. When he wished to have a pencil, he ham- 
mered one out of lead ; w^ien he wanted fireworks, 
he made rockets of his own. He invented an air 
gun ; he was fond of fishing, but did not like to 
row the boat, so he invented a boat to be rowed by 
paddles. 

He was so skilful with his brush that he decided 
to become an artist. When he was only seventeen, 
he went to Philadelphia, and supported himself by 
painting landscapes and portraits, and making draw- 
ings of machinery. He saved enough money to buy 
a farm for his mother, and then, when he was about 
twenty-one, went to study art in Europe. 

He remained in Europe many years. While 
there his mind was turned to practical thino^s. He 
became skilled in engineering ; he designed aque- 
ducts, bridges, canals, and other works. 

He invented a boat that would move under water 
and carry torpedoes to blow up war vessels. At 
this time he was thinking of moving vessels by 
steam. 

While in France he built a boat to be moved by 
steam, and everything was ready for the trial, when 
the weight of the machinery broke the boat in two, 
and it sank. Fulton had the machinery raised out 
of the water, and resolved to try again. He soon 
had another boat made laro^er and stronger than the 
first; and using the same machinery as before, he 



Early Inventors. 257 

made another trial which was successful. But this 
boat was only an experiment. 

Fulton was so sure of success with larger vessels, 
that he ordered the various parts of a steam engine 
to be made. This work had to be done in Eng- 
land, for at that time there w^re no manufactories in 
America where they could be made. He shipped 
the engine to America, for he intended his next 
trial to be made in his ow^n country. 

While in Paris Fulton had formed a close friend- 
ship with Robert R. Livingston, the American minis- 
ter to France, a man of means and influence. It 
was by Livingston's help that Fulton was enabled 
to carry out his plan. 

As soon as Fulton arrived in the United States, 
he set about building a very much larger vessel 
than he had yet attempted. He w^as laughed at 
and ridiculed. His vessel was nicknamed Ficl- 
tojis Folly, and almost every one prophesied that 
it would be a failure. 

The vessel was finished in August, 1807. The 
English engines had been put together and placed 
in position. All was ready for the trial. A large 
crowd gathered on the wharves in New York to 
see what was going on, and to make sport of Fulton's 
Folly. Black smoke came out of the smoke-pipe, 
the wheels turned and then stopped. The crowd 
began to jeer, but the trouble with the engine w^as 
remedied, the wheels again revolved, the vessel kept 



258 History of the United States. 

on, and the scoffing of the lookers-on was soon 
changed to hurrahs. 

The Clermont, as the little vessel was called in 
honor of Livingston's home, soon went up the river 
to Albany. The dense black smoke pouring out of 
her smoke-pipe, the noise of her machinery, her 
moving against wind, tide, and current, filled all 




The "Clermont." 

From Rergart's " Life of Fulton." 

those who saw her with wonder. On her return 
voyage, one man shouted, " See the sawmill going 
down the river, working as it goes." Some were so 
terrified when she passed them that they fell on 
their knees, or ran away from the dreadful sight. 

The Clermont made only five miles an hour, a 
speed much less than that of Fitch's Persever- 
ance ; but Fulton's paddle-wheels were far better 
than Fitch's oars, and the boat could be run at 



Early Inventors. 259 

much less cost. To Fulton belongs the credit of 
inventing the first practical steamboat. 

Fulton did not get much money for his great 
invention, and died, in 18 15, a poor man. He is 
buried in Trinity churchyard. New York City. 

Before Fulton's death many steamboats were in 
use. As early as iSii, the Nezv Orleans, was 
launched at Pittsburg, and after a voyage of three 
days reached Louisville. She went on to New 
Orleans ; and in a few years many steamers were 
plying upon the Mississippi and its tributaries. 

In 18 1 9, the first steamer crossed the Atlantic 
Ocean. This was the Savannah, which sailed 
from Savannah, Georgia, for England. 

From England she went to St. Petersburg, Rus- 
sia, stopping at ports in Denmark and Sweden on 
the way. 

It should be stated, however, that she did not 
steam all the time, but depended to a great extent 
on her sails. In fact, her wheels were so arranged 
that they could be unshipped and taken on board, 
when not in use. 

For a long time only paddle-wheels were used 
as a means of helping the sails. The screw-pro- 
peller, invented by John Ericsson, has taken the 
place of side-wheels for ocean steamers, and now 
the great ocean liners depend upon steam alone. 

Cotton is one of the greatest crops now raised 
in the United States; but in 1784 eight bags of 



26o History of the United States. 



cotton, taken to Liverpool in an American ship, 
were seized, because it was thought impossible 
for America to raise so much.^ 

At the present time, millions of bales of cot- 
ton are raised in America every year. This enor- 
mous increase in the size of the crop is, to a great 



extent, due to 



a single 



Eli 



invention — that of 
Whitney. 

Whitney was born in 
Westboro, Massachu- 
setts, in 1765. His 
father was a farmer, and 
more or less of a me- 
chanic as well. As soon 
as the son could handle 
tools, he was always try- 
ing to make something. 
He made a very good 
fiddle when he was only 
twelve years old. When 
his father, who was away 

from home at the time, came back, he was not very 

well pleased, and said, " Ah, I fear Eli will have to 

take his portion in fiddles." 

One Sunday morning, while the rest of the family 

were at church, Eli took his father's watch to 





PI 


I 






^"X 


9 






K^^m 


L 




J 


^m. 


1 


» 


^hi 


^^^-.^'tV^ilLlilJ./u 


Ai^.iJM^I'mm 



J. Ericsson in 1861. 

At the time he built the Monitor. From 
W. C. Church's " Life of Ericsson." 



1 By the English law, at that time, ships were allowed to bring 
in only such articles as were raised in the country to which the ship 
belonged. 



Early Inventors. 



261 



pieces, and managed to get it together again 
before the family returned. 

In the time of the Revolutionary War, nails v^ere 
scarce and costly. Whitney asked his father to 
give him some tools with which to make nails. He 
made them by hammering them one by one out of 
a bar of red-hot iron. These sold well until the 
war came to an end, when it was no longer profit- 
able to make nails in that 
way. 

All this time he was 
working on the farm, and 
also mending everything 
that was brought to him 
for repair, for he soon 
gained the reputation of 
being able to mend any- 
thing. He did not neg- 
lect study. As soon as 
he was old enough, he 
taught in the village 

school, and partly by his teaching and partly by 
his mechanical work, he earned enough money to 
go to Yale College, which he entered when he 
was twenty-four. He studied well and took his 
degree in 1792. 

He engaged himself as tutor in a family in 
Georgia. The citizens of the state of Georgia 
were so grateful to General Nathanael Greene for 




Eli WiiJTNEV. 



262 History of the United States. 

what he had done during the Revolution, in driving 
the British from the South, that they gave him a 
tract of land, not far from the city of Savannah. 
When Whitney reached Georgia, he visited the 
home of the Greenes, and while there he mended 
an embroidery frame for Mrs. Greene so skilfully 
that she was greatly pleased and much impressed 
with his ability. 

One day, when there was a company of gentlemen 
present, the conversation turned upon cotton and 
the difficulty of separating the cotton fibre from 
the seeds. The wish was expressed that some 
better and quicker way of accomplishing this hard 
task could be discovered. Mrs. Greene, hearing 
what was said, exclaimed, " Gentlemen, apply to 
my young friend here, Mr. Whitney; he can do 
anything ! " 

Whitney thought much about the matter, and 
before very long he had invented what is called a 
" cotton gin." ^ 

He worked under great difficulties, for he had to 
make his own tools, and draw his own wire. His 
simple and ingenious machine, by means of teeth 
and wires, separated the cotton fibre from the seeds. 
It had taken one person a day to clean with the 
fingers one or two pounds of cotton, while with the 
aid of Whitney's gin the same person could clean 
a hundred pounds. 

1 Gin, the same as eno;ine, a machine, 



Early Inventors. 



26 



The difficulty and expense of ridding cotton of 
the numerous little seeds entangled in it had dis- 
couraged planters from the general cultivation of 
the cotton plant. Now that the fibre could be 
separated cheaply, the plant began to be raised 
extensively, and there was a great demand for negro 
slaves to labor in the cotton fields. 

The lower price of cotton led to the establish- 
ment of many mills for the purpose of weaving the 
fibre into cloth, the 
price of which soon 
fell so much that many 
more persons could 
buy it, and the demand 
for cotton cloth be- 
came very great. The 
larger crops demanded 
a larger number of 
vessels to carry the 
cotton to the Eastern 
states and to Europe. 




Whitney's Cotton Gin. 

After the original model. 

There are few inventions 



of man which have had more far-reaching effects 
than this one of a Yankee schoolmaster. 

Eli Whitney's invention was stolen from him 
while he was trying to secure a patent, and though 
he received a good deal of money, it was all spent 
in trying to defend his rights. He afterward 
settled near New Haven, Connecticut, and manu- 
factured 



firearms for the government, inventing 



264 History of the United States. 

his own tools and machinery. In this undertaking 
he was very successful, and he died a wealthy man. 



OUTLINE. 

Various plans for propelling vessels through the water 
by steam were proposed at different times. John Fitch 
was the first who proposed a practicable steamboat, but 
the cost of running it was too great. Robert Fulton de- 
signed the first profitable steamboat. The Clermont went 
from New York to Albany in 1807. The SavaniiaJi, in 
1 8 19, was the first steamer to cross the Atlantic. The 
invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney increased enor- 
mously the growth of cotton in the United States, and 
affected many other interests. 

Describe Rumsey's plan for a steamboat. 

Tell the story of John Fitch and his experiments. 

Tell the story of Robert Fulton's early life ; of his experiments 
in Paris. 

Tell the story of the Cle7'm.ont. 

What steamer first crossed the Atlantic? When was it? 

Who invented the propeller? 

Tell the story of Whitney's early life. 

Tell the story of the invention of the cotton gin. 

What effect did the invention have upon the raising of cotton? 
Manufactures? Commerce? 

Did Whitney profit much by his great invention? 



ANDREW JACKSON.— TECUMSEH. 

OF 1812. 



THE WAR 



Andrew Jackson was born in 1767. He was the 
'son of an Irish immigrant, who settled in North 
Carolina, and who died before he had been in his 
new home a year, leav- 
ing a widow and two 
sons. 

Andrew's mother was 
very poor, and her two 
boys passed their early 
years in poverty. Like 
many other backwoods 
boys, they went to a 
school kept in a log- 
cabin in the pine woods. 

Andrew was not long Andrew Jackson. 

at school, for those were in 1830. Age 63. After the portrait by R. W. 
. . . y J Earl in the U. S. National Museum. 

stu-rmg tmies. He was 

nine years old at the time of the Declaration of 

Independence. 

The home of the family was just in the line 
of march of the British army. Andrew and his 
brother Robert, young as they were, took their 

265 




266 History of the United States. 

part in fighting the enemy ; and once, when Andrew 
was about thirteen, they were both captured. 

The troops had been marching in the mud, and 
when the prisoners were brought to camp, a British 
officer pulled off his boots, and, throwing them to 
Andrew, ordered him in very rough language to 
clean them. The boy refused, and the angry officer 
struck him so sharply with his sword that he bore 
the scars for the rest of his life. 

Andrew's brother was treated in like manner, 
and then the boys were put in prison. Later they 
fell ill with small-pox; their mother managed to get 
them exchanged ; but Robert died soon after being 
released. 

Mrs. Jackson was full of pity for the American 
prisoners confined at Charleston, more than a hun- 
dred miles away. She went on horseback to visit 
and help them. While at Charleston she con- 
tracted the prison fever and died. Andrew, now 
about fourteen years old, was left alone. 

He made up his mind to learn a trade, choosing 
that of a saddler ; but he soon found that it was 
not suited to his active disposition, and gave it up. 
He next tried keeping a country store, but he did 
not like this much better ; then he studied law and 
taught school. His law studies were not very deep 
or extensive, but he was admitted to the bar. 
Thinking that he should have more chance of suc- 
cess in a new country, he went to what was then 



Andrew Jackson. 267 

the frontier settlement of Tennessee. Here, before 
long, he was made a judge. He was well acquainted 
with the life and character of the people among 
whom he lived, and dispensed justice in a rough 
and ready fashion that was well suited to them. 
He had a mind and a will of his own, and said 
and did pretty much what he pleased. Everybody 
knew that he meant exactly what he said, that he 
was afraid of nobody, and that he would fight with 
any one who dared to dispute with him. 

In course of time, he was elected a member of 
the House of Representatives at Washington. He 
is described at this time as being tall and thin, hav- 
ing long hair which often used to fall over his face, 
and was worn behind in a cue tied up in an eelskin. 
Later still he was sent to the Senate. He was so 
accustomed to the rough ways of the backwoods 
that the sober and sedate habits of the Senate were 
very irksome to him. At times when something was 
said that he did not like, he would get so angry that, 
when he rose to reply, he would choke with rage 
and have to sit down without saying anything. 
He was glad to return to Tennessee, when the 
time came for him to do so. 

When the Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and 
Illinois regions became settled by the whites, the 
Indians were forced to remove farther and farther 
west. The more intelligent Indians saw that the 
time would soon come when they would be driven 



268 History of the United States. 

out of their lands. Most of the white men seemed 
to think that the country belonged to them, and 
that the Indians were intruders. 

The settlers wdshed to own all the land. They 
were willing to pay the Indians something for any 
claim they might have ; but the Indian was com- 
pelled to accept the white man's offer. It was 
better that the white man should have the country; 
but too often he treated the Indian unjustly and 
took advantage of his ignorance. 

Tecumseh, an able Indian, and his brother, 
called the Prophet, resolved, as King Philip had 
done, to try to band together all the Indians, and 
drive the white men back. Governor William Henry 
Harrison, of Indiana territory, heard of this plan of 
the Indians, and did his best to persuade them not 
to o-Q to war. Tecumseh, however, came with four 
hundred Indian warriors to see Governor Harrison. 
He recounted to the governor the wrongs of the 
Indians, and told him that these wrongs would be 
borne no longer. 

When he had finished his speech, one of the 
officers, pointing to the governor, said, " Your 
father asks you to sit by him." Tecumseh replied 
with disdain: " My father ! The sun is my father, 
and the earth my mother ; on her bosom will I 
repose." He then seated himself on the ground. 

The conference was of no avail. Tecumseh now 
went to induce the southern Indians to join with 



Andrew Jackson. 269 

him. He succeeded in persuading them to do so. 
Before he returned to his own tribe, he gave his 
aUies a bundle of sticks, telling them to throw away 
one stick each day. When all were gone, it would 
be time for them to attack the settlers, for by that 
time he would have attacked the northern whites. 

While Tecumseh was in the south, his brother, 
the Prophet, gathered his forces and proposed to 
fall upon the whites. General Harrison was familiar 
with Indian customs, and learned what the Prophet 
had in mind. He determined that, if there was to 
be a war, he, and not the Indians, should choose 
the time for beginning it. 

He therefore collected some troops and marched 
toward Tippecanoe,' an Indian village, where many 
w^arriors had gathered. 

When the Prophet found out that troops were 
near, he sent to Harrison, offering to make peace. 
This was only to put the general off his guard. 
The very next morning, about four o'clock, while it 
was yet dark, the Indians attacked Harrison's men. 

The first thing the sentinels heard was a terrible 
war-whoop. The troops sprang to arms, and a 
sharp battle was fought in the darkness. The 
Indians w^ere defeated, and their village was burned. 
This battle was fought November 7, 181 1. General 
Harrison after this was called " Tippecanoe." 

Tecumseh was bitterly disappointed and cha- 

^ Tippecanoe was where Lafayette, Indiana, is now. 



270 History of the United States. 

grined when he reached his old home and found 
out what had happened. The War of 181 2 with 
England soon began. He joined the British, and 
was killed in battle. 

England had been at war with France for a num- 
ber of years. France, under Napoleon, had secured 
control of a large part of Europe. England, in 
order to injure France, proclaimed that no vessels 
of any nation should trade with France or any 
country ruled by France. Napoleon retorted by 
issuine a decree that no vessel should trade with 
England. As the United States had a good trade 
with Europe, these laws hurt American commerce 
very much. 

The United States government tried in various 
ways to induce England and France to change 
these laws, but without success. 

These were not the only grievances. England 
had a large navy and needed many sailors. In 
order to secure them, when a war vessel was in an 
English port, naval officers would send men on 
shore to seize any able-bodied men they could find, 
and force them on board their vessel. This was 
called " impressing sailors." 

Of course it was much better to get men who 
were already sailors. The British naval officers, 
therefore, made it a practice to stop American 
merchant ships when they met them, and seize 
some of their men. They always claimed that such 



Andrew Jackson. 271 

men were British citizens ' and could be rightfully- 
seized. 

These officers were not at all careful to find out 
whether a man had been born in England or not. 
If they saw a fine-looking seaman, they would say, 
" You must be an Englishman, we will take you." 
The captains and crews of the merchant vessels 
could do nothing but protest. 

Thousands of Americans were thus seized. The 
United States government would complain to the 
British government ; but there the matter usually 
would end, for the British ministry thought that 
the United States would not dare to do anything 
more than complain. 

At last, in 181 2, the United States declared war 
against England. A great many persons in America 
thought it very unwise to go to w^ar. England had 
about a thousand war vessels, while the United 
States had but ten or twelve first-class vessels. 
England's troops were numerous, well drilled, and 
had had much experience. The troops of the 
United States were few, poorly disciplined, and 
unused to w^ar. 

Those who were for peace not only pointed 
out these facts, but claimed that all matters in 
dispute could be satisfactorily arranged without 

^ At that time all European nations held that a man was always a 
citizen of the country in which he was born, no matter where he might 
be, or to what country he might have emigrated. 



2/2 History of the United States, 

fighting. It has since been seen that they were 



right. 



Though the American war-ships were few, they 
were the very best of their class, and were manned 
by the best sailors in the world. When a report 
reached England that the Constitution, an American 
frigate, had captured the Guei^riere, a British frigate, 
the English newspapers said that it could not be 
true, for such a thing was impossible. But it was 
true, nevertheless, and there were other American 
victories as well. 

On land the British were generally victorious, 
though after a while the Americans were able to 
hold their own on the Canadian border. 

The Americans had such a long coast line, and 
so few vessels to defend it, that the British had 
many opportunities to land a force in an unexpected 
place. The British made several attacks on the 
coast, the most important of which was on the 
shores of Chesapeake Bay. 

They captured Washington, and burnt the Capi- 
tol, as well as other public buildings. During the 
British bombardment of Fort Mc Henry, near Balti- 
more, Francis Scott Key, a young American patriot, 
was detained on one of their vessels. He was full 
of fear lest the fort might be taken, and, while 
watching the shot and shell through the long hours 
of the night, he wrote, on the back of an old 
letter, the poem " The Star-Spangled Banner," which 



Andrew Jackson. 



273 



afterward became a national sone. The British were 
compelled to retire without accomplishing their 
object. 

Before this time the Creek Indians in the south, 
who had been excited by Tecumseh, had attacked 
the whites. They seized Fort Mims, in which 
four hundred men, women, and children had taken 
refuge, and cruelly massacred all these captives, 
even burnino- some of them to death. 




Gold Medal presented by Congress to Andrew Jackson. 

Andrew Jackson had been a general of militia, 
and he now marched against these Indians and 
defeated them. It was a w^ar of extermination ; the 
whites gave no quarter, but killed every prisoner. 

This victory and other successes gave Andrew 
Jackson a great reputation, and he was, in conse- 
quence, placed in command of the southern army. 

Jackson expected that the British would attack 
New Orleans. He was rioht. Twelve thousand or 
more English soldiers, the best in the English army, 



274 History of the United States. 

had been sent to take this important place. Jack- 
son made every effort to defend it. He released 
the prisoners from the jails, and armed them ; he 
also armed the free negroes ; he made defences and 
threw up earthworks ; then he waited for the attack. 

The British made their assault, January i8, 1815. 
A terrible battle followed. The British were 
driven back, with their general killed, and a loss of 
about two thousand men. The Americans lost less 
than one hundred. 

All this bravery on both sides and this loss of life 
were for nothing, because a treaty of peace had al- 
ready been signed in Europe. But there was no 
telegraph, no railroad, no ocean steamship in those 
days, and it was a long time before the sailing 
vessels brought the news. 

Strange to say, the impressment of sailors and 
the restrictions on trade were not even named in 
the treaty. France had been conquered. Eng- 
land was at peace with European nations, and no 
lono-er needed sailors. She had also learned that it 
would not be wise to try to take them by force. 
She had repealed the old laws restricting trade. 
Her people were tired of war, and were eager for 
peace. The people of the United States were also 
quite ready to stop fighting, and welcomed the 
news of the treaty with enthusiasm. 

They now devoted themselves to the arts of 
peace. Canals were constructed, roads were made, 



Andrew Jackson. 275 

steamboats built, manufactures established, and 
thousands of new fields planted with various crops. 
For thirty years, with the exception of occasional 
troubles with the Indians, the country was at peace 
and prospered greatly. 

Andrew Jackson was elected President of the 
United States in 1828. He was the first man who 
had risen from the poorest in the land to that high 
office. He thought, and very many of his country- 
men thought with him, that he represented the whole 
people better than had any former President. 

Jackson had been hot-tempered and self-willed as 
a boy, and his disposition was not changed when 
he became a man. He was honest in his inten- 
tions, though often at fault in his judgment. 

He thought that all his political friends should 
be rewarded. Accordingly, he turned hundreds of 
men out of the public offices, and replaced them 
with those who had supported him in his campaign 
for the presidency. 

For about sixty years nearly every President fol- 
lowed his example. Now, under what are called 
the " Civil Service Rules," most of those who hold 
office are kept in their positions as long as they do 
their work well. 

Andrew Jackson was elected President a second 
time. He died in 1845. 



276 History of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

Andrew Jackson was born in 1767. His parents were 
very poor. He took part in fhe Revolutionary War. He 
removed to Tennessee, and became a prominent citizen. 
Was sent to Congress. Was appointed general of militia, 
and was actively engaged in the Indian wars, in which 
Tecumseh, an Indian chief, was leader. Tecumseh was 
one of the ablest of the Indians. The Indians were de- 
feated at Tippecanoe by General WilHam Henry Harrison. 

The British impressed American sailors, passed severe 
laws restricting trading, and refused to grant American 
requests. War broke out between Great Britain and the 
United States. The Americans were remarkably successful 
in naval warfare, but suffered many reverses on land. Peace 
was made, but before news of it reached America, General 
Jackson repulsed a British attack upon New Orleans, and 
won a great victory. Jackson was elected President in 
1828, and reelected in 1832. He was honest, but prejudiced 
and self-willed. He was a great believer in rewarding his 
friends with public office. 

Tell the story of Andrew Jackson's youth. 
Describe his life in Tennessee. 
Tell an anecdote to show his quickness of temper. 
What led to a war with the Indians ? 
Tell the story of Tecumseh. 

What led to the War of 18 12 with Great Britain? 
Give some account of the war. 
Tell about the batUe of New Orleans. 
What kind of a man did Andrew Jackson make ? 
What rule did he follow in making appointments to public 
office? 



CANALS, RAILROADS, TELEGRAPHS, AND 
OTHER INVENTIONS. 

The people of the United States learned from 
the War of 1812 the necessity of better means of 
travelling and of conveying goods from one part of 
the country to another. 

Except near the sea, or where there were bays, 
rivers, or lakes, there was no better way to trans- 
port goods than in wagons or on the backs of 
horses or mules. For months in the year, the 
roads throughout the country were so bad that it 
was almost impossible to use them for hauling. 
Even in summer, hauling was slow and costly. 

While Jefferson was President, Congress appro- 
priated money toward building a great national 
road from Cumberland, Maryland, to the W^est. 
This road benefited only a part of the country, 
helping chiefly the trade of Philadelphia and 
Baltimore. 

New York had a large trade along the coast and 
on the Hudson River, but not with the interior 
country. She wished to secure a part of this 
inland trade. It was believed that a canal from 
Lake Erie to the Hudson River would accomplish 
this. 

277 



278 History of the United States. 



Many men, on the other hand, thought this proj- 
ect a wild one. Even President Jefferson said : 
" You talk of making a canal three hundred and fifty 
miles long through the wilderness. It is a little 
short of madness to think of it at this day." 

Those men, however, who had the matter at 
heart, persevered, and in 181 7 the canal was begun. 

De Witt Clinton, a 
prominent citizen of 
the State of New 
York, was greatly in- 
terested in having 
this canal made, and 
perhaps it is not too 
much to say that had 
it not been for him 
it mieht never have 
been finished. 

Like so many other 
men who have made 
great plans, Clinton was ridiculed, and the canal 
was called " Clinton's Big Ditch." 

The canal was, indeed, a stupendous work for the 
times. It had to be carried by bridges over streams ; 
ledges of rock had to be cut through, and where 
there were long hills, or rapid descents, locks ^ were 

1 A canal lock is a part of the canal, confined within walls, and 
having gates at each end. By means of these gates the level of the 
water in the locks can be raised or lowered, and the boat rises or falls 
with the water. 




De Witt Clinton. 

After the portrait by C. Ingham. 



Inventions. 



279 



necessary, by means of which canal boats could be 
raised and lowered. 

It took eight years to finish the great work. The 
water was to be let in from Lake Erie on the 
25th of October, 1825. To give notice to those 




Locks on the Erie Canal. 

As first constructed. 



who lived along the banks of the canal and the 
Hudson River, cannon were placed every five miles 
from Buffalo to New York City. 

When the gates were opened the first gun was 
fired, then that at the next station, and so on. The 
first one sounded at ten o'clock in the morning, and 



2«0 



History of the United States. 



one hour and a half later the last gun was fired five 
hundred miles away, at New York. 

As the first canal boat passed, gayly decorated 
with flags and streamers, there was great rejoicing. 
The travellers on it were received with cheers and 
salutes, and when they reached New York City 
there was a great celebration. 




Entrance to the Erie Canal at Tkoy. 

From an old print. 

Governor Clinton emptied a cask, which had been 
filled at Buffalo with the water of Lake Erie, into 
New York Bay, thus representing the meeting of 
the sea and the lakes throuQ^h the Erie Canal. 

The canal more than fulfilled the hopes of those 
who planned it. It offered such an easy way to go 
to the West that it helped wonderfully in develop- 
ing that vast region. It brought so much grain and 



Inventions. 281 

produce to New York that the trade of that city was 
greatly increased, and it became the largest city in 
America. Before the Erie Canal was constructed, 
Philadelphia was larger than New York. 

Other states built canals, but none was so success- 
ful or so important as the Erie Canal. This want 
of success was due partly to the character of the 
country through which they passed, and partly to 
the introduction of railroads. 

Less than one hundred years ago the speediest 
means of getting from place to place was by horses, 
just as it was in the time of the Greeks and 
Romans. 

As soon as it was found that steam could be used 
as a power for moving machinery, men at once 
began to think about some way to make machinery 
move ships, wagons, and carriages. 

The steamboat has already been described. About 
, twenty years after Fulton's trial of the Clermont on 
the Hudson River, George Stephenson, at Darling- 
ton, England, made the first successful railroad loco- 
motive. Stephenson had formerly been a laborer in 
an English coal mine. 

The first passenger railroad in America was the 
Baltimore and Ohio, which was beo'un in 1828. 
Soon there were others built in all parts of the 
country, except the extreme w^est. 

The railroad could be built almost anywhere. If 
the hills were too high to be crossed, they could be 



282 History of the United States. 



tunnelled, or if tunnelling was too costly, the rails 
could be laid around the hills; streams could be 
bridged, or passengers could be ferried over them. 
Even swamps could be crossed by driving in piles 
and building trestle work on which to lay the track. 
This seems a matter of course to us now, but every- 
thing was very 
different seventy 
years ago ; it is 
hard to imag- 
ine what a vast 




Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 1830. 

From an old print. 



change the rail- 
road has made 
in the condition 
of the country. 

Towns and vil- 
lages sprang up 
along the rail- 
way, as they had formerly along the rivers. New 
states were rapidly settled. The wheat, corn, oats, 
and other crops of the farmer were easily and safely 
carried to market, and woollen and cotton cloth, 
manufactured articles generally, and all needed sup- 
plies were brought back to him. 

Railroads and canals are among the most impor- 
tant bands which hold the country together. If it 
were not for the easy means of communication 
which they afford, the country would, doubtless, 
long ago have been divided into two or more 
independent nations. 



Inventions. 



283 



The telegraph is an invention which followed not 
many years after the railroad. It had long been 




The First Train on the Camden and Amboy Railroad. 



known that electricity could be carried along vari- 
ous substances, and scientific men had thought that 
messages might be conveyed by electricity ; but no 
one had found a satis- 
factory way of doing it. 
Samuel F. B. Morse, 
an American artist, be- 
came much interested 
in electricity and 
magnetism. He had 
heard of various at- 
tempts to convey in- 
telligence by means of 
electricity, and while 
on a voyage from 
Europe to America, in 1832, he thought much about 
the matter. Before he had reached America he 
had made a drawing of an instrument which, with 




Letter-carrier of the Olden Time. 



284 History of the United States. 



the aid of wires, he thought would accompHsh the 
desired end. 

Five years later he constructed an instrument with 
which he was able by means of wires to send a mes- 
sage for a short distance. Morse at once saw that 
messages could be sent a great distance if wires 

were properly arranged. 

His invention was very 
simple, and there was very 
little about it that was origi- 
nal. After it was described, 
it seemed strange that 
scientific men had not 
thought of his method 
before. 

Morse, like almost all 
inventors, had much to 
contend with. He was 
poor, and had it not been 
for a young man, named 
Alfred Vail, who persuaded his father to lend Morse 
some money, it is quite possible that there would 
have been failure after all. 

Vail was an excellent mechanic, and helped very 
much in the construction of the instruments. He 
also secured for Morse a patent for the invention. 

In order to bring his invention before the public, 
Morse asked Congress, at Washington, to give thirty 
thousand dollars, to be used in constructing a tele- 




Samuel F. B. Morse. 

From the last approved photograph. 



Inventions. 285 

graph line between Baltimore and Washington, a 
distance of forty miles. Some of the members of 
Congress made all manner of sport of Morse's 
project. One member proposed that the money 
should be spent in making a railroad to the moon. 

There seemed little prospect that the bill grant- 
ing the money would be passed. The story is told 
that Morse, weary and heart-sick, sat hour after 
hour in the gallery of the Senate Chamber, waiting 
for his bill to come up before Congress adjourned. 
When evening came, and there seemed no chance 
for its passage, he went to his hotel utterly dis- 
couraged, and prepared to leave for New York 
early the next day, as his money was exhausted. 

The next morning, while he was at breakfast, a 
young lady came in and said, " I congratulate you." 
"Upon what.^" said Morse, who was feeling very 
blue. " On the passage of your bill." " Impossible." 
"No," said she, "it was passed five minutes before 
the adjournment." "Well," said Morse, "you shall 
send the first messao^e over the lines." 

The line was constructed with the money thus 
secured. When all was ready Morse kept his prom- 
ise, and Miss Annie G. Ellsworth sent, at the sug- 
gestion of her mother, the words, " What hath God 
wrought!"^ This was on May 25, 1844. It was 
not many years before there were telegraphs over 
all civilized lands. 

^ Numbers xxiii. 23. 



286 History of the United States. 

Morse and others showed very soon that wires, if 
properly protected, could be laid under water, and 
so rivers and streams proved no barrier. But this 
was not all ; telegraph lines were to encircle the 
earth ; the ocean must be crossed. 

Cyrus W. Field, a wealthy New Yorker, was sure 
that a cable of telegraph wires could be laid from 
shore to shore of the Atlantic. Such an under- 
taking would be very costly, and it was a long time 
before a sufficient number of persons in Europe and 
in America could be induced to subscribe to an 
enterprise apparently so foolish. 

Two attempts to lay a cable on the bottom of 
the ocean were failures. But in 1858 a cable was 
successfully laid, through which Queen Victoria and 
President Buchanan exchanged messages of con- 
gratulation. A number of other messages were also 
sent, but, in less than a month, the wires ceased 
to work. 

It was harder than ever to get subscriptions for 
a new cable ; but Mr. Field was indefatigable, and 
crossed the Atlantic very many times in the inter- 
est of the cable company. Finally he succeeded in 
his efforts. 

A new cable was made, and the Great Eastern 
the largest vessel afloat, was chartered to lay it. 
More than half had been laid when the cable 
broke, and the end fell into the sea and was lost. 
This was a very great disappointment. 



Inventions. 



287 



Even now Mr. Field and his companions were 
not cast down. The next year a new cable was 
successfully laid. Not only was this done, but the 
lost cable was picked up from the bottom of the 
ocean, another cable was spliced to it, and this one 
also worked. This was in 1866. 

Many other cables have been laid, connecting 
America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceanica. Men 
have become so accustomed to hearing the news of 




The " Great Eastern " picking up the Cable of 1865. 



the world every day, that it is hard to realize that 
this great invention is so recent. 

It is largely by means of steamboats, railroads, 
and telegraphs that our great Union is made possi- 
ble ; the whole world, also, is bound closer together, 
for through them men of different countries learn 
to know each other better, and to see that all 
nations have many interests in common. These 
improved means of communication tend to make 



288 History of the United States. 

men value peace more highly. More than this, for 
when difficulties arise between nations, it is much 
easier to arrange matters now than when it took 
three months, and sometimes longer, to get an 
answer to a question. Had there been a cable 
to England in 1812, very probably there would 
have been no war at that time. 

So we see that steamboats, railroads, and tele- 
graphs are great helps in increasing civilization and 
in making men wiser and better. 



OUTLINE. 

After the War of 181 2 the people of the United States 
turned their attention to domestic matters. Means of com- 
munication between different parts of the country were 
poor. Roads and canals were planned. The Erie Canal 
was constructed and became a great benefit to New York. 
Many other canals were planned. Railroads were intro- 
duced about 1830. These greatly increased the develop- 
ment of the country and helped to bind different parts of 
the Union together. The first practical telegraph was 
invented by Morse. From a telegraph on land it was not 
a long step to telegraphs under water called cables. These 
now circle the globe. Steamboats, railroads, and telegraphs 
are great helps in civilization. 

How was trade carried on with the western country in early 
days? 

Tell the story of the building of the Erie Canal. Tell the story 
of the opening of the Canal. 



Inventions. 289 

When were railroads introduced into America? 
What effect did canals and railroads have on the settlement of 
the country? 

Tell the story of the invention of the telegraph. 

Tell the story of the first messages. 

Tell the story of laying telegraphic cables under the ocean. 



OREGON. —WHITMAN'S RIDE. 

When the treaty of peace was made between the 
United States and Great Britain, in 1783, it was 
found very hard to agree upon the dividing line 
between Canada and the United States. 

The great West, particularly the Oregon country, 
was thought by many able men in the United 
States to be of little value. This opinion was held 
for many years ; even Daniel Webster said : " What 
do we want with the vast, worthless area, this 
region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts, of 
shiftino^ sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and 
prairie dogs ? What can we hope to do with the 
western coast . . . rockbound, cheerless, and unin- 
viting, and not a harbor on it ? " Other men spoke 
quite as strongly. 

A few settlers from the Eastern states, attracted 
by the reports of Lewis and Clark, had gone to 
Oregon and some of the churches had become 
interested in the Indians, and had sent out mis- 
sionaries in 1834 and 1836. One of these mission- 
aries was Dr. Marcus Whitman, of th*e State of New 
York; it was he who, in 1836, took the first wagon 
across the Rocky Mountains — an undertaking 
which had been said to be impossible. 

290 



Oregon. 291 

Dr. Whitman and his fellow-missionaries were 
charmed with the beautiful forests, the fertile fields, 
the mountains, and the rivers of that far western 
land. They found that the English already had 
fur-trading stations and some settlements in Ore- 
gon ; and Dr. Whitman became sure that it was 
their purpose to gain possession of the land by 
bringing as many settlers as possible into the coun- 
try. He believed that the only way for the Ameri- 
cans to keep Oregon was to bring in more settlers 
than the English had done. 

One day, while dining at an English station, he 
witnessed the arrival of a messenger with the news 
that a large colony of English settlers were coming. 
A young Englishman in the company was so pleased 
that he sprang to his feet, crying, " Hurrah for 
Oregon ! America is too late. We have got the 
country ! " 

Dr. Whitman was convinced that his view was 
correct. He saw also how important it was that 
the English plan should be known to the govern- 
ment at Washington before any treaty should be 
made with England, and that the urgent need of 
inducing more American settlers to emigrate to 
Oregon should be brought home to the American 
people. 

Dr. Whitman said nothing, but within twenty-four 
hours he had left the station, and in less than three 
days was on his way to the East. His journey and 



292 History of the United States. 

its purpose were kept a profound secret. He 
started on his long horseback ride, October 3, 
1842. He was accompanied by a fellow-settler, 
Amos L. Lovejoy, and by a guide. They had 
three pack-mules. 

By making a great effort, they reached Fort Hall 
in eleven days, a ride of six hundred and forty 
miles. This was an English fort, and was situated 
in what is now the southeastern corner of Idaho. 

The commander of the fort did all he could to 
persuade Dr. Whitman to give up his purpose of 
riding to St. Louis. He said that the snow was 
twenty feet deep among the mountains ; that the 
rivers could not be crossed ; that the Pawnee and 
Sioux Indians were at war with each other, and that 
it would be almost certain death to enter their 
country. 

The only effect that these words had upon Whit- 
man was to make him follow a different route to the 
East. 

The little party found heavy snowdrifts and en- 
countered terrible snowstorms. At one time the 
guide refused to go any farther, and confessed that 
he had lost his way. They sought to retrace their 
steps to their last camp, but the snow had covered 
their path. They had given themselves up for lost, 
when one of the mules was seen to bend his ears 
forward. The guide at once cried out, "This mule 
will find the camp if he can live to reach it! " The 



Oregon. 



93 



reins were thrown upon the mule's neck, and he was 
allowed to do as he pleased. 

The mule seemed to understand what was wanted 
of him, and starting off, went on through snowdrifts, 
down precipitous paths, on and on, until he stopped 
over a piece of ground nearly bare of snow. To 
their amazement the men recognized the place as 
the camping ground they had left early in the morn- 




Whitman's Ride. 



ing. A few embers were still glowing, and they 
soon had a roaring fire. 

Their guide now refused to stay wath them, and 
Whitman, in order to secure another one, was forced 
to return to a trading-post which they had passed 
days before. 

When they reached Grand River, they found it 
frozen, except in the middle of the stream. The 
guide said, " It cannot be crossed." Dr. Whitman 
replied, " It must be crossed." He took a pole with 



294 History of the United States. 

him, compelled his horse to swim the open stream, 
and then breaking the ice on the opposite shore 
with his pole, helped his horse to get to the bank. 
He soon had a good fire, and the rest of the party 
also crossed the stream. 

When their provisions gave out, they killed and 
ate a dosf which had followed them. At another 
time they killed one of their mules, the meat of 
which lasted them a number of days. 

Once, when the time for camping came, there was 
no fuel. On the opposite side of a stream near by 
there was plenty of wood. The river was covered 
with thin ice, hardly strong enough to bear a man. 
Whitman took an axe, lay down on the ice, and 
worked himself across. Having cut sufficient wood, 
he returned in the same manner, pushing the wood 
before him. In cutting the wood he split the handle 
of his axe, but bound it together with a piece of deer 
thong. That very night a thievish wolf, attracted 
by the deer thong, carried off the axe, handle and 
all. It was fortunate that this happened near the 
end of their journey, for had such a loss happened 
earlier it would have been a very serious matter. 

When they reached Fort Bent, about a thousand 
miles from St. Louis, Mr. Lovejoy was so worn out 
that he remained behind, while Dr. Whitman went 
on with a party just starting for the East. When 
he arrived at St. Louis, in the latter part of Febru- 
ary, he was rejoiced to hear that the Oregon ques- 



Oregon. 295 

tion was not yet settled. " I am still in time," he 
cried. He hastened on to Washington, which he 
reached March 3, 1843. 

No wonder that men and women stopped to look 
at him as he walked about the streets. He wore 
coarse fur garments, buckskin breeches, a buffalo- 
skin coat with a hood, fur leggins, and boot moc- 
casins- — the same suit in which he had crossed the 
plains. 

He saw President Tyler, and Daniel Webster, 
Secretary of State, and gave them such information 
that there was no longer any talk of a boundary for 
Oregon south of the forty-ninth parallel of latitude. 
He published a pamphlet setting forth the advan- 
tages of Oregon, and describing the way to reach it. 
His companion in his adventurous ride, who had 
followed him to St. Louis, also spread the notice 
far and wide that Dr. Whitman and he would per- 
sonally conduct a party of emigrants to Oregon. 

A large number of emigrants started from St. 
Louis. Dr, Whitman had been delayed, but over- 
took them by the time they reached the Platte River. 
The company consisted of about a thousand men, 
women, and children, with about a hundred and 
fifty emigrant wagons, each drawn by twelve oxen. 
There were also more than a thousand horses and 
cattle. 

Day after day the long caravan toiled along. 
When night came the wagons were ranged in a 



296 History of the United States. 

circle, the teams unyoked and let loose to pasture. 
Fires were lighted by which to cook the supper, 
tents were pitched, sentinels were posted, and every- 
thing was made ready for the night. 

After supper the company would gather within the 
circle of the waoons, the children would roll and 
tumble on the ground in sport, some one would bring 
out a violin or flute, and the young people would en- 
joy a dance. The older persons would tell stories 
of adventure, discuss the journey still before them, 
or plan for their life in the far-away western land 
for which they were bound. By ten o'clock all was 
quiet, and nothing was to be heard but the " All's 
well " of the sentinels, as they walked back and forth 
on their night watch. 

Early in the morning the caravan was on its way 
again. Twenty miles was a good day's journey. 
Late in September, 1843, the party reached its des- 
tination on the Columbia River. No such band of 
emigrants had ever been seen in Oregon before ; no 
such band had ever crossed the continent. 

Dr. Whitman had done his work well. He had 
carried news of the value of Oregon to the govern- 
ment; he had spread truthful reports throughout the 
land; he had brought back a large number of set- 
tlers to confirm the claim of the United States: in 
a word, he had saved Oregon for his country. He 
had done this without receiving or expecting any 
pecuniary reward. He believed that Oregon right- 



Oregon. 



297 



I 



fully belonged to the United States, and that it 
would be more prosperous under American rule. 
His motives were patriotic and seem to have been 
wholly unselfish. 

Whitman returned to his station, and for the 
next four years devoted himself to his missionary 



'A^^ ^^;^^v=*> ^^^>^^^^>^^%^^^ 




Whitman Siation. 

Scene of the massacre. 



work. Then the Indians, who, in some way, had 
become stirred up against the missionaries, murdered 
him, his wife, and thirteen others, and carried off 
forty men, women, and children as captives. 



OUTLINE. 

For many years the Great West was thought to be of 
little value. Dr. Marcus Whitman went to the Oregon coun- 



298 History of the United States. 

try as a missionary in 1836. He was greatly pleased with 
the country. He feared that the English would gain it, 
and he resolved that the government and people of the 
United States should be informed of the worth of Oregon. 
He rode on horseback to St. Louis on his way to Wash- 
ington. It was a terrible winter ride. He led back a large 
band of emigrants. He was, a few years later, killed by 
Indians. 

What was thought of the value of the great West ? 

Who was Dr. Whitman? 

How did he think Oregon could be kept for the United States? 

Describe his ride to St. Louis. 

How was he dressed ? 

What did he accoiui)lish? 



TEXAS. — MEXICAN WAR. — CALIFORNIA. 

During the time of which we have been reading, 
the country was steadily growing in wealth and 
population. The settlement of the United States 
was spreading farther and farther west. The 
prairies were planted with corn and wheat, while 



-^--f* 



^^-^^l^S^^-*-'^"^ ^,^^^ ^. -::^^^^^^J 




Chicago in i ■ ji 

From an old print. 



towns and cities grew up along the rivers and lakes 
and on the lines of railways. 

By 1846, the original number of states had been 
doubled. States were formed west of the Missis- 
sippi River, and in the North and the South. Such 
were Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. 

299 



300 History of the United States. 

Southwest of the state of Louisiana there was a 
great country belonging to Mexico, known as Texas. 
Into this country American settlers began to 
venture. They found it attractive and fertile, and 
year by year more settlers came until there were 
many Americans in Texas. 

It was not an easy life for them. Some of the 
Indians were hostile. The Mexicans, who had at 
first invited Americans, became jealous; as descend- 
ants of the Spaniards they were not much pleased 
to see active Anglo-Saxons taking possession of the 
best parts of their country. 

Many of the Americans were pioneer settlers, 
like those of the earher days in Kentucky and 
Tennessee. Others were persons who had not 
been successful at home, and w4io hoped to do better 
in a new country. Some were men who had found 
Texas a safe refuge from their creditors, and a 
few were fugitives from justice. Texas was in 
those days truly a frontier country, resembling many 
of the more eastern states in their early history. 

The Mexican law forbade slavery, but notwith- 
standing this, some of the settlers brought slaves 
with them, calling them "servants.'' 

In 1836, the Americans and some of the Mexicans 
in Texas, declared their independence of Mexico, 
and set up the republic of Texas. One of the 
causes that led to the revolution was the refusal of 
Mexico to establish free schools. 



Texas. — Mexican War. — California. 301 

Before long Texas asked to be annexed to the 
American Union as one of the states. This was very 
natural, because Americans formed the greater 
part of her population, and she was hardly strong 
enough to sustain a government of her own. 

There was gred^t difference of opinion among 
the people of the United States in regard to this 
request. The Southern states wished to have 
Texas in the Union, because many of the Texans 
were Southerners, and because its admission would 
increase the territory where slavery was allowed, 
and so would increase the influence of slaveholders 
in Congress. There were, of course, many people 
in the South and in the North who favored the 
annexation of Texas, and yet did not believe in 
slavery. They were of the opinion that the annex- 
ation would greatly benefit the United States. 

The Northern states, as a whole, were opposed to 
the annexation ; they did not wish to see the slave 
territory of the Union any larger. They believed also 
that the annexation would lead to a war with Mex- 
ico, because Mexico had never acknowledged the 
independence of Texas. 

Texas was admitted into the Union in 1845; the 
expected war followed, and Mexico was defeated. 
In the treaty of peace Mexico ceded to the United 
States, in exchanofe for a largre sum of monev, a 
great tract of country, comprising what is now Cali- 
fornia, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico, Ari- 
zona, and part of Colorado. 



302 History of the United States. 



In 1848, almost at the time when the treaty of 
peace with Mexico was signed, gold was discovered 
in CaHfornia. As soon as the fact of this discovery 
became known, men from all parts of the United 



'^^-.T— %w 




f -T ^- " -^^i^mmSmi^^''.;i^. 



The Overland Route, 



States hastened by sea and by land to the gold 
fields. Some embarked in ships and went around 
Cape Horn, a voyage of three or four months. 
Some sailed to the Isthmus of Panama, and then, 
crossing the country, took ships on the Pacific 








A Californian Wagon Train. 

After an old print. 



Ocean. Some took the long journey overland, 
across the great plains and over the mountains. 

The overland route was the hardest journey of 
all. The travellers could go only in wagons or on 
horseback. They were exposed to hostile Ind- 



Texas. — Mexican War. — California. 303 



ians and wild animals. They suffered much from 
fatigue, hunger, and thirst. Long afterward their 
path could be traced by the abandoned wagons, and 
the whitened bones of the horses and cattle which 
fell by the way, and even by the bones of some of 
the poor travellers themselves. 




View of San Francisco in 1847. 
After a lithograph. With American ships in the harbor. 



The recent discoveries of gold in the Klondike 
region, and the rush to these new gold fields, have 
brought back to many old persons the memory of 
the scenes of 1849. 

By the end of the year 1849 there were more 
than a hundred thousand persons in California. 
Seldom had there been seen a greater mixture of 
peoples; by far the greater number were Ameri- 



304 History of the United States. 

cans, but there were also Indians, Mexicans, Peru- 
vians, Europeans, and South Sea Islanders. All 
these were working side by side in the search for 



gold. 



The California gold diggings proved to be among 
the richest in the world, and many men became 
very wealthy; others returned to their homes poorer 
than when they left them. 

California became a state in 1850. In addition 
to her mines, she has vast fields of grain, and thou- 
sands of acres planted with fruit trees of all 
kinds ; her fruit orchards and orano^e orroves are 
unsurpassed. 

OUTLINE. 

Americans began to settle in Texas, which was part of 
Mexico. In 1836 there were many Americans in that 
country, and they declared themselves independent of 
Mexico. Soon Texas asked to be annexed to the Unitexi 
States. The North opposed annexation, and the South 
approved. Texas was admitted to the Union, 1845. War 
with Mexico followed. The United States acquired from 
Mexico what is now California, Nevada, Utah, most of 
New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. Gold was discovered 
in California 1848. There was a great rush to the gold 
fields. California became a state, 1850. 

How many states were there in the Union in 1846? 

Where was Texas ? 

What sort of men went there to settle? 



Texas. — Mexican War. — California. 305 

When Texas wished to join the Union how did the people of 
the North feel? 

Those of the South? 

When was Texas admitted to the Union ? 

What land did the United States acquire ? 

When was gold discovered in California? 

Tell how the seekers after gold reached California. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

Among the early settlers in Kentucky was a man 
named Abraham Lincoln, who had come there 
about 1780. His ancestors were among the colo- 
nists who settled near Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
Some members of the family moved to New Jersey, 
and later to Virginia and Pennsylvania (Berks 
County). This Abraham Lincoln and his family 
had long been friends of the Boones ; it was prob- 
ably due to Daniel Boone that they had moved to 
this new home. 

They hved in a stockade, like the other settlers, 
as the Indians were still to be feared. All went 
well for eight years. Then, one day, while he and 
his three sons were at work in a clearing, the father 
was shot and killed by an Indian. This misfortune 
appears to have broken up the family, and Thomas, 
the youngest son, was left to shift for himself. 

Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter, and was suc- 
cessful enough to secure a farm by the time he was 
twenty-five. He married Nancy Hanks in 1806. 
The young couple were poor, but so were most 
of the early settlers in the West. Their life was 
rough, but it did not differ from that of other pio- 
neers at the same period. Indeed, the life of the 

306 



Abraham Lincoln, 



i°7 




AisKAHAM Lincoln. 
From a photograph taken in i860. 



308 History of the United States. 



Lincolns can be taken as a fair example of that of 
hundreds of others in the new settlements. 

Their home was a rude log-cabin, containing only 
one room, having but one door and no window. A 
large chimney, made of sticks and clay, leaned 
against the cabin, which, if it was like the ordinary 
cabin of the early settler, had no floor but the earth. 
The scanty furniture was of the rudest kind. The 

table and chairs 
were of boards, the 
legs fastened into 
auoer holes. The 
bedstead was of 
poles, and was sup- 
ported by the logs 
of the house on one 
side, and on the 
other by • stakes 
driven into the earth floor. Most of the dishes were 
wooden ; the spoons, knives, and forks were of iron. 
In this cabin, situated in Hardin County,' Ken- 
tucky, Abraham Lincoln, the future President, was 
born, February 12, 1809. 

Abe, as he was called, was seven years old when 
his father moved to the southwestern part of Indi- 
ana. The country was thickly wooded, and, in 
order to get to their new home, it was necessary to 
cut a roadway through the forest. 

1 Now La Rue County. 




House in which Abraham Lincoln- 
was BORN. 

From a photograph of the reconstructed log-cabin 



Abraham Lincoln. 



309 



When they had reached their destination, the 
first thinor to be done was to build a " half-faced 



camp. 



This was a loe hut with but three sides. 



There were no doors, no windows, no floor but the 
earth. It was, indeed, nothing but a shed. All 
the cooking was done at a fire in front of the open 




LOG-CAlilN P^UKM 1 I Kj 



side of the hut. A buffalo skin was hung across 
the front for protection in winter. 

The family lived in this " half-faced camp " for a 
year, and then a cabin, very much like the one they 
had left in Kentucky, was built. This cabin had 
a loft, and here, on a heap of leaves, young Abe 
Lincoln slept. 

The boy went to one of the rude "ABC schools " 
whenever he had a chance ; but he used to say, in 



3 1 o History of the United States. 

after years, that he was not at school more than a 
year all together. 

He was eager to learn, and at night would throw 
branches of spice-wood bushes on the fire in order 
to get more light, so that he could read and cipher. 
He did his figuring on a wooden shovel, or smooth 
board, with a charred stick. When the w^ork was 
done, he planed it off, and the board was ready for 
use again. 

Young Lincoln read every book that he could lay 
his hands on. Books were scarce on the frontier, 
and he had not much choice. Among them were 
" Robinson Crusoe," Weems's " Life of Washing- 
ton," a " History of the United States," " ^sop's 
Fables," Bunyan's " Pilgrim's Progress," and the 
Bible. Some of these he had to borrow. Once his 
borrowed copy of Weems's " Washington " got wet, 
and to pay for the book he shucked corn for three 
days. 

When he could get paper, he would copy long 
extracts from what he read, using a pen made from 
the feather of a wild fowl, and ink made from the 
roots of briers. 

When he was ploughing, and it was necessary to 
give the horse a rest, he would pull out his book, 
perch himself on the top of a " worm fence," and 
read. He soon knew more than any of his com- 
panions, and he learned to write an excellent hand. 

His mother died when he was nine years old, and 



Abraham Lincoln. 



311 



her loss was a great one to the little boy. In about 
a year his father married again. Lincoln's step- 
mother was an able and energetic woman. She 
encourao^ed him in all his efforts to read and to 
study, and her stepson became very fond of her. 
She said of him, many years afterward, " Abe was 
a good boy — he never gave me a cross word or 
look ... he was a dutiful son to me always." 




A Mississippi Flat-boat. 



If young Lincoln dressed like the boys around 
him, he must have worn roughly tanned deerskin 
trousers, a linsey-woolsey shirt, moccasins on his 
feet, and a coonskin cap on his head. 

He was early taught to swing the axe, to handle 
the plough, to thresh the wheat with the flail, to carry 
the grain to the mill, and to do all kinds of work 
about the farm. Besides this, his father taught him 
his own trade which was that of a carpenter. 

He grew up an able-bodied, active young man. 



312 History of the United States. 



He was six feet four inches tall, and of great strength. 
"He could outwork, , outlift, and outwrestle any 
man he came in contact with." He was good- 
natured, obliging, and, in fact, very popular. He 
was fond of telling stories, all of which were to the 
point and often very amusing. 

When he was nineteen, he went to New Orleans 
on a iiat-boat as a " bow-hand." His business was 

to work at the front oars. 
The unwieldy flat-boats were 
propelled by long sweeps, or 
oars, each of which often re- 
quired two men to handle 
it. These boats were loaded 
with farm produce, and with 
their cargoes were sold on 
reachinof New Orleans. This 
long voyage took weeks and sometimes months to ac- 
complish. For this work on the flat-boat Lincoln 
received eight dollars a month and his passage 
back. 

Soon after his return from New Orleans, his father 
moved to Illinois. Young Lincoln drove the ox- 
wagon in which the household goods were carried. 
It was a two weeks' journey. 

The family settled in central Illinois. Here 
Abraham Lincoln helped to build the log-cabin 
which was to be the new home, and with the aid of 
a companion he split the rails to fence in the ten 




A Worm Fence. 



Abraham Lincoln. 3 i 3 

acres which were to be planted with corn for the 
first year's crop. 

After seeing his father and his family settled, and 
being now twenty-one years old, he " struck out 
for himself." He had little or no money ; and one 
of the first things he did was to spHt rails to pay 
for enough brown jeans to make him a pair of 
trousers. 

He took whatever employment offered. He 
worked as a farm hand, as a rail-splitter, and as a 
clerk in a country store. Once, late in the evening, 
a woman came to buy half a pound of tea ; Lincoln 
weighed it out correctly, as he thought, and gave it 
to the woman, who paid him and went off. Next 
morning he found that he had put a four-ounce 
weight on the scales. He closed the shop and went 
to deliver the amount of tea which was due the 
woman. 

Another time, in giving change, he made a mistake 
of six and a quarter cents ; ^ the same evening, after 
the store was closed, he walked three miles to return 
the money. Such conduct soon won for him the 
name of " Honest Abe." 

When the trouble with the Indians, known as 
the " Black Hawk War," arose, Lincoln joined the 

^ A coin in common circulation at that time was the Spanish half- 
real, worth six and a quarter cents. It bore different names in dif- 
ferent places, as, "picayune," " fippeny bit," "sixpence." It went 
out of circulation during the Civil War. 



314 History of the United States. 

volunteers and was made captain of his company. 
He was not called upon to take any very active 
part, but his chief exploit was to save, at the risk 
of his own life, an Indian who had wandered into 
the soldiers' camp. 

On his return, in 1832, Lincoln and another 
young man entered into partnership and bought 
out a country store. Lincoln's main object in life 
was studv rather than tradino;, and he trusted too 
much to his partner, whom he supposed to be a 
good business man. The young man, however, 
turned out to be a worthless, dissipated fellow, and 
it was not long before the business proved a failure. 
Lincoln was now responsible for several hundred 
dollars, which it took him years to pay. 

In the meantime he had begun the study of law, 
had mastered surveying, and had been appointed 
village postmaster. 

When he began to practise law, all who knew 
him and really wanted justice were glad to employ 
him, because they were sure that he was honest. 
He never would say anything that he did not believe, 
and if he was satisfied that a law case was unjust, 
he would not defend it. 

Once he was called upon to defend a young man 
who was charged with committino- murder. A wit- 
ness, who was an enemy of the prisoner, declared 
upon oath that he saw the murder committed on a 
certain night by the light of the moon. Lincoln 



Abraham Lincoln. 3 i 5 

asked him to repeat his statement, and after this 
was done he pulled an almanac out of his pocket, 
and showed that there was no moon visible on that 
night. The accused was at once acquitted. Lin- 
coln refused to take any fee in the case, because, 
years before, he had been treated with great kind- 
ness by the young man's mother. 

In 1834, Lincoln was elected a member of the 
state legislature. In order to take his seat, he 
walked the entire distance to Vandalia, then the 
state capital, about a hundred miles. In 1846, he 
was elected a member of the United States Con- 
gress ; in this position he distinguished himself by 
opposing the Mexican War. A few years later 
(1850) there were great debates in Congress, and 
discussions over the whole country as to whether 
slavery should be allowed in the territories. Lincoln 
spoke boldly against any increase of slave territory. 

In 1858, he was a candidate for the position of 
United States Senator, and sustained himself in 
many debates in the state of Illinois with his oppo- 
nent, Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln was not chosen, 
but he gained for himself a wide reputation for abil- 
ity, sound sense, and honesty of purpose. 

In i860, Lincoln was invited to deliver a speech 
in the largest hall in the city of New York. The 
subject was, " Slavery in the United States." Few 
political addresses have had such an effect, so clear, 
so forcible, so convincing were his words. 



3i6 History of the United States. 

It is not strange that when the convention of the 
Repubhcan party met, soon after, to choose a can- 
didate for President, Abraham Lincohi was nomi- 
nated. He was elected; and the former backwoods 
boy, rail-splitter, country storekeeper, surveyor, law- 
yer, became President of the United States. 



OUTLINE. 

The Lincoln family originally came from near Plymouth, 
Massachusetts. They moved first to New Jersey, then 
to Virginia, then to Pennsylvania, and then to Kentucky. 
Thomas Lincoln lived in Hardin County, Kentucky. Here 
Abraham Lincoln, his son, was .born, February 12, 1809. 
When he was seven years old his family moved to Indiana 
and later to Illinois. They lived in a rude cabin like other 
frontier families. Abraham Lincoln learned to cut down 
trees, split rails, and to do all kinds of farm work. He 
went to New Orleans on a flat-boat. He was a store- 
keeper, postmaster, surveyor, and lawyer. He was called 
"Honest Abe." He was chosen a member of the state 
legislature, and of Congress. He was elected President 
of the United States in i860. 

Where did the Lincoln family originally come from? 

Describe the cabin of Thomas Lincoln. 

Where was Abraham Lincoln born? 

To what state did the flimily move when he was a little boy? 

In what sort of a hut did they live? 

How long did he attend school? 

Tell how he taught himself. 



Abraham Lincoln. 317 

Name some of the books he read. 

Tell what his stepmother thought of him. 

Tell how he was dressed ; what he learned to do ; how he went 
to New Orleans. 

What did he do when the family moved to Illinois? 

Tell stories to show his honesty. 

What \vas he called ? 

(jive an account of him as a storekeeper; as a lawyer. 

To what positions did his fellow-citizens elect him? 

To what high position was he chosen by the people of the 
United States? 



THE CIVIL WAR. 

The m-eat Civil War between the North and the 
South began in 1861, soon after Abraham Lincohi 
became President. There had been for a long time 
much misunderstanding between the people of the 
North and the people of the South ; this was partly 
because they had been brought up very differently, 
and partly because they knew but little of each 
other. This want of knowledge on the part of 
each was due to several causes, the most important 
of which were the following : first, the main lines of 
travel in the United States have always been east 
and west ; men have gone in those directions rather 
than north and south ; secondly, there were few rail- 
roads in the South; thirdly, the warm climate of the 
South was not attractive to the men of the Middle 
and Northern states ; lastly, the Southern system of 
slavery was disliked by nearly all persons in the 
free states, and many thought it sinful. 

There were doubtless other reasons for this mis- 
understanding, but these are the easiest to be seen. 

The Southern people generally believed that slav- 
ery was right ; very many of the Northern people, 
on the contrary, thought that it was wrong. The 
Southern people also believed that negro slaves 

318 



The Civil War. 3 1 9 

were necessary for raising cotton and other crops ; 
they wished to take their slaves into the territories, 
and to increase the number of states in which slav- 
ery was permitted. The free states had become 
the most populous and numerous ; this made the 
slaveholders feel that it would not be long before 
the -Northern states would take some steps to re- 
strict, perhaps even to abolish, slavery. 

In the North, there was a political party the mem- 
bers of which were called Abolitionists; they believed 
that slavery should be abolished. As this party had 
supported Abraham Lincoln, many prominent men 
in the Southern states feared that Lincoln would 
interfere with slavery. When Lincoln was elected, 
they thought that the time had come for the slave 
states to leave the Union, or to secede as it was 
called. Before he was inaugurated, in 1861, seven 
states had thus seceded and claimed to be out of 
the Union.^ 

These states formed themselves into a new gov- 
ernment called " The Confederate States of Amer- 
ica." Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, was chosen 
President, and Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia, 
Vice-President, of this confederation. 

The great majority of the people of the Northern 
states were of the opinion that no state had the 
right to withdraw from the Union ; they did not 

^ These were South Carohna, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Geor- 
gia, Louisiana, and Texas. 



320 History of the United States. 

believe that the Southern people meant what they 
said, or that they would actually fight against the 
Constitution and the flag under which they had 
lived so long. 

President Lincoln was very much misrepresented 
in the South. He w^as careful to say that he did 




The Capitol at Richmonj) 



not think that the Constitution allowed him to 
interfere with slavery where it was legal, but he 
was careful also to say that he did not believe that 
a state could secede from the Union. He would 
not recognize the Confederate states as a govern- 
ment. 



The Civil War. 



321 



Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South 
Carolina, was one of the United States forts; it was 
short of supplies, and the Southern authorities 
refused to allow any supplies to reach it. In April, 
1 86 1, the Confederates demanded the surrender of 
Sumter ; the commander of the fort. Major Robert 




Fort Sumter before the Bo 



>m?ARi 



Anderson, refused to yield. On the morning of 
April 12th, the Confederate batteries began to fire 
on the fort ; the bombardment lasted thirty-two 
hours, and ended with the surrender of the fort. 
The garrison, about a hundred men all told, was 
allowed to march out with all the honors of war. 
Only one man had been killed, and he by accident. 
This attack began the Civil War. 

At once there was great excitement. North and 
South. Troops were enlisted on each side, and 



322 History of the United States. 



large armies were gathered. The Confederate gov- 
ernment expected that all the Southern states 
would join the new Confederacy, but only four 
more did so, making eleven in all.^ 

The terrible conflict thus begun lasted four 
years. The armies on each side fought bravely. 
The people, both North and South, taxed them- 










Monitor and Merrimac. 

An incident of the Civil War. 



selves heavily to carry on the war, and bore the 
burden ungrudgingly. 

There was great suffering on the battle-fields, in 
the hospitals, and, saddest of all, in the military 
prisons. Great battles were fought, and there were 
many notable exploits on sea and land. There 
were able generals in the Union army, such as 

1 These were Arkansas, North CaroUna, Virginia, and Tennessee. 



The Civil War. 



323 



Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip H. 
Sheridan, and George H. Thomas. In the navy 
such men as David G. F'arragut, Andrew H. Foote, 
and others, more than sustained the reputation of 
the American naval officer. In the Confederate 
army there were able generals as well : Robert E. 
Lee, Joseph E.Johns- 
ton, Thomas J. Jack- 
son, commonly known 
as "Stonewall" Jack- 
son, and J. E. B. 
Stuart. 

The war was prin- 
cipally carried on in 
the Southern states. 
The navy of the 
Union blockaded 4he 
ports of the Confed- 
eracy, so that very 
few ships could bring 
in supplies or carry 
out cotton to pay 

for the goods which Farragut in the main rigging 

were needed. 

The armies of the 
Union shut in the South on the land side so com- 
pletely that the Southern people could get very few 
supplies by land. Being shut in by land and sea, 

^ A port is blockaded when no vessel is allowed to go in or come out. 




An incident of the Civil War. After the picture by 
William Page. 



324 History of the United States. 

and having very few manufactories of any kind, the 
people suffered greatly for many articles. Woollen 
cloth, shoes, pins, needles, medicines, tea, coffee, 
sugar, salt, and many other things were almost un- 
obtainable. 




Ulysses S. Grant. 

From a photograph. 

Dried herbs or leaves of various shrubs were 
used instead of tea, roasted rye or wheat instead of 
coffee. Men and women wore homespun gar- 
ments, thorns served as pins, wall-paper, and indeed 
every kind of paper which was blank on one side, 



The Civil War. 



325 



was made use of for writing and printing, and 
many other ingenious devices took the place of 
what had been considered necessary. The South- 
ern people bore their privations courageously, 
because they believed that they were right and 
were fighting in defence of their homes. 







McLean's House. Appomattox Courthouse. 

In which General Lee surrendered to General Grant, 9th April, 1865. From a photograph 

This system of blockade and of cutting off sup- 
plies was part of the plan of the Union government 
to bring the South to terms. Without such meas- 
ures the Union forces could hardly have succeeded. 

Though the Northern and Western states were 
almost wholly free from the presence of contending 
armies and the ravages of war, thousands of homes 
were made desolate by the loss of husbands, sons, 



326 History of the United States. 

and brothers, who had patriotically left all to save 
the Union. 

Many terrible battles were fought with an appall- 
ino- loss of life. At last the South became exhausted. 
The armies of the Union advanced steadily until at 
length Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, 




The Graint Monumeint, New York. 

From a photograph. 

was occupied by Union troops. A few days later, 
General Lee surrendered his army to General Grant 
at Appomattox, Virginia. The war was over. 

This war put an end to slavery in the United 
States, and now there is probably no one who would 
really wish it back. The war made the people of 



The Civil War. 



327 



the North and South respect each other. It showed 
that the American people are just as brave, just as 
patriotic, just as self-sacrificing, as they ever were. 
The union of the states was preserved, and it was 
shown that no state could withdraw from the Union. 

On April 14, 1865, 
only four days after 
Lee's surrender. Pres- 
ident Lincoln was 
shot by an assassin, 
and the rejoicing over 
the coming of peace 
was changed to the 
deepest mourning. 
The whole coun- 
try had come to re- 
gard Abraham Lin- 
coin as worthy of the 
hio^hest confidence ; 
he had inspired such 
admiration and affec- 
tion as had been given to no one except Washing- 
ton. His loss was mourned over the whole world as 
that of a devoted patriot, and a good and great man. 




Robert E. Lee. 

From a photograph in 1862. 



OUTLINE. 

The great Civil War began in 1861. The people of 
the North and the people of the South did not understand 
each other. The Southern people thought slavery was 



328 History of the United States. 

right ; the Northern people, that it was wrong. The 
Southern people thought that a state could leave the 
Union if it wished ; the Northern people did not believe 
in secession, as it was called. Seven Southern states 
seceded and formed The Confederate States of America ; 
four other states joined them later. Fort Sumter, in 
Charleston Harbor, was bombarded. This began the con- 
flict. The war lasted four years. It was carried on chiefly 
in the South. The people of the South suffered much 
from the blockade of their ports which cut off all supplies. 
There were many terrible battles and great loss of life 
on each side. The South was compelled to give up the 
struggle. The war put an end to slavery, and showed 
that no state could leave the Union. On April 14, 1865, 
President Lincoln was shot by an assassin. His loss was 
mourned over the whole world. 

Tell why the people of the North and the people of the South 
did not understand each other better. 

How did the people of the South look upon slavery? 

How did the people of the North look upon it? 

Why did the people of the South wish to leave the Union ? 

How many states seceded? 

What name did the seceding states take ? 

How did the people of the North look upon secession? 

What did President Lincoln say ? 

Tell about the bombardment of Fort Sumter. 

How long did the war last ? 

Name some of the generals and naval officers. 

Tell what effect the blockade had on the people of the South. 

What questions did the war settle ? 

What sad event took place at the close of the war? 

How was President Lincoln regarded by all men? 



THE UNITED STATES IN RECENT YEARS. 

The Northern and Western states soon after the 
Civil War settled back into peaceful life. In the 
South the people had lost nearly everything, and 
many of them had to make a fresh start in life. 
The state and local governments had to be reorgan- 
ized and many difficult questions settled. But, as the 
years went on, the South recovered from her losses 
and prospered greatly. She has grown larger crops 
of cotton than ever before ; many railroads have 
been constructed, many mines have been opened, 
and many new manufactories have been established. 

In Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida 
great quantities of fruits and early vegetables are 
raised, w^hich, by means of steamers and rapid rail- 
road trains, find a ready market in the cities of the 
North and West. 

The whole country has steadily increased in popu- 
lation, wealth, and prosperity, notwithstanding times 
of depression in business. 

The United States bouoht the orreat Louisiana 
territory in 1S03; later, in 18 19, she bought Florida; 
later still Texas was annexed, the Mexican Cession 
gained, and Oregon secured. Another large addi- 
tion of territory was made in 1867, when Alaska was 

329 




C / i/^/^ c 



330 



The United States in Recent Years. 331 

purchased from Russia. This great territory does 
not touch the rest of the United States at any point. 
It has a scanty population of Indians. Except 
along the coast the winters are very cold, and there 
is much ice and snow. There are high mountains, 
and large glaciers, some of which reach to the sea ; 
from these huge pieces of ice break off and fall into 
the sea, forming icebergs. Many fur-bearing ani- 
mals are still to be found in Alaska, and the islands 
in Bering Sea have been the resort of thousands of 
seals, but the rapacity of the seal hunters has nearly 
destroyed the herds. Alaska is rich in mineral 
wealth. Gold was discovered in the Klondike re- 
gion in 1898. Owing to the long winters and the 
rigorous climate, it will never be a second California, 
but it is already of very much greater value than 
any one thought possible when it was bought. 

The building of railroads has been one of the most 
striking features of the development of the United 
States. Settlement, of course, came in the East 
before railroads ; but in the West settlement, as a 
rule, has gone along with the railroad, without which 
the growth of towns and cities would not have been 
nearly so rapid. 

Men felt that unless there was some quick and 
easy way to get from the extreme East to the ex- 
treme West, those who lived on the Pacific coast 
might think that they could get along very well 
without those on the Atlantic coast, and those on 



332 History of the United States. 



the Atlantic coast might care very Httle for those 
on the Pacific coast. This feehng led to the con- 
struction of the Pacific railroads. 

Congress made liberal grants of land and money, 
and the work of building the Pacific Railway was 
begun during the Civil War. The road was started 
from both the east and the west. On the loth of 




View on the Union Pacific Railroad, Colorado. 

From a photograph. 

May, 1869, the two construction parties met at 
Promontory Point, Utah. The junction was made 
with great ceremony. The last rail was fastened 
with a gold spike from California, a silver one from 
Nevada, and an iron one from Arizona. Two en- 
gines, one from the east and one from the west, 
blew their whistles loud and long, and touched each 
other to show that the great roadway from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific was completed. Other 



The United States in Recent Years. 333 

Pacific railroads have been constructed since, and 
crossing the continent is no longer a journey to be 
dreaded. 

When men in Europe wish to go to Japan by the 
quickest route, they cross the Atlantic to America, 




William McKinlky. 

Elected President of the United States, 1896. . Photographed by Rockwood, New York. 

take the railroad to the Pacific coast, and embark 
in an ocean steamer, which brings them to Japan 
in thirty days or less from England. Columbus 
was right when he said that the best way to go to 
the east was by going west, but how different the 
journey to-day from that of which he dreamed ! 



334 History of the United States. 

No one could have imagined that so great a 
nation as the United States could have come into 
existence in the western hemisphere. The wonder- 
ful prosperity and development of the great republic 
have been due in part to great natural ' advan- 
tages, but these alone would not have brought suc- 
cess. Without the earnestness, the frugality, the 
independent, self-reliant spirit, and the love of con- 
quering difficulties, all of which are characteristics 
of the Anglo-Saxon race, the natural advantages 
would have amounted to little. 

After more than thirty years of peace the United 
States became involved in a war with Spain in 1898. 
It was the first conflict with a European power since 
181 5. For years Spain had oppressed and misgov- 
erned Cuba. The Cubans rebelled. Spain made 
fair promises of better treatment, but they were not 
carried out. Again the Cubans rebelled. Accounts 
of Spanish cruelty came from time to time to Amer- 
ica, causing many Americans to sympathize warmly 
with the Cuban insurgents. The large and profit- 
able trade which had existed between the United 
States and Cuba was almost ruined. The condition 
of the Cubans became worse and worse. 

The United States government sent the battle- 
ship Maine to Havana to protect American inter- 
ests. On February 15, 1898, she was blown up and 
sunk with over two hundred and fifty of her crew. 
The feelings of the great body of the American 



The United States in Recent Years. 335 



people were so wrought up that Congress soon 
passed resokitions declaring that Cuba ought to be 
free, and that, if the Spaniards did not withdraw, 
the United States should compel them to go. Spain 
broke off all relations with the United States. The 
President ordered a blockade of parts of the Cuban 
coast, troops were enlisted, and war was begun. 

The United States had 

a fleet of war vessels under 
Commodore George Dewey 
at Hong-Kong, China. He 
was ordered to the Philip- 
pine Islands, a Spanish 
possession. On the ist of 
May he entered the harbor 
of Manila, and, eno^ao^inQr 
the Spanish fleet, captured 
or destroyed every vessel, 
without the loss of one of 
his own men. 

Meanwhile, the blockade 
of Cuba was kept up. Spain sent a fleet to Cuba ; 
this fleet w^as blockaded by American vessels in the 
harbor of Santias^o, and when it ventured out, it 
was pursued and totally destroyed by the American 
vessels, with the loss of but one American killed 
and two wounded. 

United States forces had been landed to attack 
the city of Santiago. After some sharp fighting the 




George Dewey. 

From a photograph taken in 



336 History of the United States. 

city surrendered. Another expedition was sent to 
the island of Porto Rico. With httle difficulty the 
American troops overran a good part of the island, 
but before the capital was reached Spain had sued 
for peace. 

By the terms of the temporary agreement, Spain 
was to give up all claim to Cuba and to cede to the 
United States Porto Rico and the island of Guam 
(one of the Ladrones in the Pacific Ocean). Manila 




3j^^s^WW^^S?>?'/«v-J!ji^^^ 



MoRRO Castle, opposite Havana, Cuba. 

From a photograph. 

was to be held by the United States until a formal 
treaty of peace should be made. The war had 
lasted one hundred and fourteen days. 

Meanwhile, the Hawaiian Islands had been an- 
nexed to the United States in July, 1898. In Feb- 
ruary, 1899, the United States Senate ratified the 
treaty of peace with Spain by which the United 
States, in addition to what had been agreed upon, 
gained the Philippine Islands. 

In less than a year the United States annexed 
the Hawaiian Islands, Porto Rico, Guam, and the 
Philippines, and assumed temporary control of 



The United States in Recent Years. 337 

Cuba; in December, 1899, by agreement with Great 
Britain and Germany, she gained Tutuila and the 
islands near it of the Samoan group in the South 



Pacific. 



The United States has thus been changed 




Senate and Legislative Buildings, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

From a photograph. 

from a strictly American power to one of world-wide 
extent. It is not possible to foretell what the result 
of this change will be upon her people and her 
institutions. 



OUTLINE. 

After the Civil War the country settled back into peace- 
ful occupations. The South began a new career of pros- 
perity. Alaska was bought in 1867. It is rich in mineral 
wealth. The railroad has been of the greatest help in the 
settlement of the whole country ; it has been a means of 



338 History of the United States. 

uniting the East and West. Natural advantages joined 
with the earnestness and self-reliant spirit of the Anglo- 
Saxon race have been the means of developing this great 
country. War with Spain broke out in 1898. Spain 
oppressed Cuba. The people of the United States 
sympathized with the Cubans. The Maine was sent to 
Havana, and was blown up. After a short war Spain 
sued for peace. The United States acquired Porto Rico, 
the Philippines, Guam, and assumed temporary control of 
Cuba. The United States has thus been changed to a 
world-wide power. 

Tell about the prosperity of the South after the Civil War. 

Describe Alaska. 

How has the railroad helped to develop the country? 

Tell about the Pacific railroads. 

Tell how it is that the United States has been so prosperous. 

Tell about the cause of the war with Spain. 

What did the United States gain as a result of the war? 




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